New Life, Same Destiny
by Valakun
Summary: The Fourth's dying wish puts Naruto in Jiriaya's care? Our favoirte blond reappears twelve years later for the Chuunin exam. Same crew, different lives, same destiny. Working our way through the third test. ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
1. A New Beginning

What if the fourth's dying wish was for Naruto to be trained by Jiriaya apart from the Leaf until he was ready to face his destiny? And what better time to come back then for the Chuunin exam? The whole crew is there but not in the same order as you might expect. I don't own Naruto, you know that. Everyone's happy. Lets get on with the story.  
  
The Third Hokage looked down at the little bundle of cloth he held and the equally small face that poked out of it. He sighed heavily, part of his mind wondering why his good friend had chosen his own son for this great task. (We're assuming Naruto and the Fourth are father and son, so shoot me) He idly wondered about the hardships the boy would have to go through as he grew up. He stared first at the sleeping babe then up at the newly completed stone face of the Fourth that loomed above him as he stood on the roof of the Ninja Administration building.   
  
*They look so much alike* The old man mused as he once again looked back down at the little boy's face. The only difference he could see were the two sets of whisker marks on the little blond's face.   
  
The Third sighed again and contemplated the fourth's final order concerning his son. The Fourth had ordered that his son be placed under the care and guidance of his former master Jiriaya, one of the legendary Sennin. The Fourth had foreseen what might happen if he allowed his son to remain among the people of the Leaf. He knew the boy would be scorned and hated for what he carried inside of him. He knew that there was no way to prevent it from happening unless he got him out of the village. So he had sent a message to his former master asking for his help. That night the Yondaime went into battle, sealing away the Nine Tails in the body of his young son, and dying in the process.   
  
It had now been several weeks since the incident and still Jiriaya had not shown up. The white haired hermit might not have gotten the message, he might be on his way right now, or he could have chosen to ignore it. The Third highly doubted Jiriaya would do such a thing as ignore a request, really a plea, from his own student and good friend. That still did not remedy the fact that Jiriaya wasn't there.  
  
So the Third had taken it upon himself to take care of the child until Jiriaya decided to show up. If worst came to worst he would have to put the little boy under the care of another family, even if it did go against the Yondaime's wishes. One could not follow an order if the other person mentioned in the order didn't show up.  
  
So every day the Third took some time off of his busy schedule to play with the child and take him up to see the stone face of his father and the other Hokages. He found the little boy captivating. He was full of energy and was constantly trying to pull on the Third's beard. But today was different. Today the little boy had hardly opened an eye. He simply slept and sucked on a thumb every once in a while.   
  
The old man mused on the lives of children, one in particular, and enjoyed the sunlight until a presence behind him made the old man turn his eyes from the stone faces. He knew who was behind him even before he saw the white hair and red tattoos.   
  
"Jiriaya, I was afraid you would not come." he said as he motioned with his head for the other man to join him.   
  
The white haired hermit came and stood with his teacher and looked first at the stone faces and then at the little bundle in the Hokage's arms. "I came as fast as I could." He said as he stared at the child. "I was on the far side of the wind country when I got the message and even then I could not leave. Business would not wait."  
  
The Hokage nodded and again pried his eyes away from the mountain side to look at the child he held. The kid was still asleep. "They do look very similar." Jiriaya mused. The Third smiled. "I was just thinking the same thing."  
  
They stood together for a while. Neither saying anything. Both were lost in thought. Finally a bell rang the hour and jolted both out of their quite state. The Third sighed again and held out his precious package. "I must return to my office. He is yours now." he said as Jiriaya took the little boy. He also handed over two scrolls. "The first is the fourth's last wishes, not all of which you know of. The other is for the boy when he grows up and is ready to return to us."  
  
Jiriaya nodded and stashed the two scrolls away. He pondered the boy that now slept in his arms. "I won't be stopping by then for a good while." Jiriaya commented. The Third shook his head. "No, but do return. I would like to see the Fourth's heir return to Konoha one of these days."   
  
The white haired Sennin turned to leave but paused and looked back over his should. "I suppose it would be a good thing if I knew the boy's name."  
  
The old Hokage chuckled as he turned to stare back at the stone faces one last time before heading back into his office. "Naruto. His name is Uzumaki Naruto." 


	2. The Upcoming Return

Ok, heres the second chapter. Don't know if anyone's reading this yet so i'll just keep forging on. Again i don't own Naruto, you knew that, i know that...yeah.  
  
Twelve Years Later...  
  
Trees had grown, rocks had been weathered, and people had grown and aged in the twelve years since the Fourth's death had stopped the rampaging Nine Tails Fox. Konoha had rebuilt after its partial destruction and had even managed a nice boom in population since then. Many ninja had risen in rank and fallen in battle during that time. Students at the academy had also come and gone. And memories had changed or forgotten. The people of Konoha knew, or thought they knew, the history of their glorious village. But like much of history, it had been influenced by those in power. In the case of the Fourth's death and the events surrounding it, it happened to be a good change.   
  
The Third Hokage had sworn the ninja that had survived the battle or that knew of it's end to silence. He had spread the story that the Fourth had sealed the beast away inside himself then died to make sure the beast didn't come back. The public was satisfied with the story and let it stand, thinking that it was the truth. Soon even most of the ninja who actually knew the truth had begun to forget it and accept the alternate story.   
  
Even the great Hokage himself began to put the truth to the back of his mind. Duties called for more and more of his time. To prevent himself from putting it completely from his mind he placed a picture of the Fourth opposite his desk. This supplemented his almost daily trip to the monument. But even this became almost nothing more then habit after twelve years. So when he received a note from Jiriaya it took him a few moments to think of why his old student might be writing to him.   
  
He had been signing off on a trade delegation paper that would hopefully solve the local merchant's problems with their overabundance of ramen when his aid came in with the mid-day mail. He put the legal paper aside and received the small stack of letters and scrolls with a smile, happy to get away at least for a moment, from those big words and money matters. He was a ninja after all.  
  
A letter or two from a friend, some official notices from the local lord, and, at the very back of the pile, a small beaten scroll. After running through the notices the Third picked up the scroll and looked at it. It was a small dirty little thing and looked very out of place among the other mail. He turned it over and saw a familiar mark pressed into the wax seal the held the scroll closed. (the same symbol/word as on Jiriaya's head protector)   
  
The old man smiled as he recognized Jiriaya's mark and began opening the scroll. As he did a little warning bell started ringing in his brain. Why would Jiriaya be writing to him? He never wrote. The warning didn't register until he read the first line of the short letter.  
  
*Both Naruto and I are of the belief that he is ready to return to Konoha.*  
  
The old ninja froze and his eyes back tracked across the line and read it again. The warning bell finally struck the right note. He blinked his eyes then continued to read.  
  
*Therefore we will be returning to town a week before the Fall Chuunin exam. Present circumstances prevent us from returning for Genin graduation and team assignments so please prepare for the addition of one additional Genin on a team for the exam. Both of us are confident he could pass without a team but better to be prepared. We both look forward to it.*  
  
Jiriaya's signature was scratched at the bottom. The Third rolled the little scroll back up and placed it back on his desk. He looked at the calender on his wall and saw that the Genin graduation would be held in less then a week. He had to act fast if he was going to get Naruto a position on one of the teams.   
  
With a quick motion that didn't match his age, the Hokage stood and strode from his office. "I am going to the academy for a while." he said as he passed his aid working at the front desk.   
  
The academy was a five minute walk from the ninja administration but he made it in three. The Hokage knew exactly what teacher to go to. He had been watching the roster of children in this years class and had been surprised to find that the Uchiha boy was among the students. The prodigy child of the dead Uchiha clan was some what of a legend already. His skill at both jutsu and attracting females were already the talk of the town.   
  
When the Hokage walked into Iruka's classroom the noise died down and a shushed silence fell on the children. Iruka had been in the middle of a lecture he knew almost no one was listening to, so the Hokage's interruption was actually a welcome break for both teacher and students.   
  
"Ah good afternoon Hokage-sama." The children echoed his hello in an unruly chorus that made the teacher blush and the Hokage laugh. Iruka spoke up. "Perfect timing Hokage-sama. Would you be willing to help me explain why chakra control is so important to a ninja? I would greatly appreciate any help you could offer."  
  
The Leader of the Leaf smiled but shook his head. "Not at the moment no." he said. He turned and addressed the children. "I'm afraid I have to steal Iruka-sensei away for a few moments. Please take this time to read up on chakra control. That would be page eighty-four in your books I believe." Groans from several of the students followed the Hokage and the teacher out into the hall.  
  
Once the door was shut Iruka stiffened to attention. "What do you wish to ask of me Hokage-sama?"  
  
The old man waved the younger teacher out of his ramrod stance. "I have a bit of a dilemma." he said. "A young man will be returning to the village after a very long time away. He has an education of sorts and has been well trained. I believe you know Jiriaya."  
  
Iruka's eyes widened a bit. "No sir, I don't know him personally but I know his reputation as one of the three Sennin."   
  
"Well he has been the boy's mentor and teacher for most of his life. They have finally decided to return and the boy needs to be put on a team. The one problem is they won't be returning till a week or so before the fall Chuunin exam."  
  
The teacher stiffened as he thought about the wrench that the Hokage had just thrown into his plans. It was going to be very difficult to get any group put together that close to a Chuunin exam. They would have almost no time to learn team work or even get to know each other. He doubted they would make it very far if they tried for the exam. "I see what you mean Hokage-sama." Iruka said quietly.   
  
The Hokage sighed. He knew what he was asking of Iruka. It was a tough problem that he was laying on the young man's shoulders. After several moments of thinking Iruka looked back up at his Hokage. "I think I may have a solution to the problem. There are several very good students in the class that stand out as loners or high achievers. If the boy in question has been trained by Jiriaya-sama then he must be fairly good. I can think of two students that might be able to handle this type of situation and still be able to be ready for the Chuunin exam."  
  
Iruka slid the door part way open and pointed to two students. "Haruna Sakura is an A student and has decent fighting skills." He pointed to a pink haired girl who was busily studying her book. She was one of the few who was. But both men noticed her occasional glances towards a young man sitting a row down from her. Iruka pointed to him as the second student.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke is already well known to you I'm sure." Iruka said. The Third nodded. "He is the best fighter in the class and has a great mind as well. His bloodline also helps. He is the loner but I believe he can be molded into a good team player over time."  
  
The Third nodded. Iruka had chosen well. Now he just needed to find a Jounin that would be able to mold them into a good team in short order. He smiled as he thought of the perfect person for the job.   
  
"Very well. Make sure those two are on the same team. I have just the teacher for them. I'll have him brief them on the situation at their first meeting after the team assignments. With less then a full squad they won't be doing normal missions very often so that means lots of time for training. Thank you very much Iruka. Now I think you asked for help teaching your students about Chakra control didn't you?"  
  
Iruka smiled, glad to have been a help and even happier to have the best ninja in Konoha helping him out for a while. 


	3. The Return

A bit longer this time. Starting to get into the meat of the story. *Hmm meat....* Hope whoever's reading this is liking it so far. Like I said before i don't own Naruto, you know it, i know it...things are good.   
  
Uchiha Sasuke hated the whole deal. Not only had he been stuck with a nearly worthless girl, he was also assigned the most perverted Jounin possible. This actually wasn't so bad since Kakashi-sensei was actually quite good when he put away his dirty books, he was even pretty good when he had them out. But what really got under Sasuke's skin was that he and his partial team had been relegated to the lowest class of missions possible. Even when they got a decent mission they were usually paired up with another team. The sparsity of the missions also ate the hell out of the Uchiha kid. He knew he deserved better but no, he was stuck with a half squad and no good missions while they waited for some mystery kid to complete their squad. Sasuke hoped this guy was worth the wait, otherwise he'd have to kill something.  
  
Actually it wasn't nearly as bad as Sasuke made it out to be. Sakura had had a crush him, along with almost every other female ninja in Konoha, back at the academy but during one of their first training sessions Sasuke had made it abundantly clear to the girl that she was nothing to him and probably never would be. The only way she could earn his respect was to train hard and improve her pathetic combat skills and stamina.   
  
Initially shocked by his blunt refusal, Sakura pouted for several days and cried herself to sleep for a few nights afterward. But finally she saw the wisdom in what Sasuke had said. She began taking her training more seriously. To her she wasn't really giving up on Sasuke, just that she was trying a new approach to his heart. If that meant giving up her girly ways and becoming a ninja of his caliber she could do it. It also had a secondary bonus, she began to surpass her main rival for Sasuke, Ino Pig.  
  
Another reason that it wasn't so bad was that, despite their lack of challenging missions, they made up for it in training time. Kakashi-sensei turned out to be a fine teacher. The two Genin focused hard on their training. Kakashi knew they both had potential. Sasuke was to much like Kakashi himself to easily give up and Sakura was a quick study. Her determination to win Sasuke's heart through skill also made her a very dedicated student. Kakashi only hoped his third student would be as smart and powerful as his other two.   
  
He knew Jiriaya-sama for a number of reasons. His reputation as a Sennin of course, the fact that he had been the teacher of Kakashi's own teacher, the fourth Hokage, and the final and less well known fact was that he was the author of Kakashi's favorite dirty books. It would be interesting to see what one of his students would have to offer.  
  
****  
  
The months to the Chuunin exam rapidly disappeared until the appointed time for Jiriaya and Naruto's arrival was the only major event left before the exams for the Hokage to worry about. The old man had the sentries on the city walls and at the gates keep an extra good eye out for the pair. He didn't want to waste any time in getting Naruto situated with his new team.   
  
It came down to a week and two days before the exam before the much awaited runner appeared in the Hokage's office.   
  
"Hokage-sama," he saluted. "A white haired man carrying a large scroll and a young blond boy are approaching the north gate."  
  
The Hokage felt his pulse quicken and he stood up and thanked the runner. He left the building, followed by his guard, and hurried to the North gate to greet the new arrivals. He arrived before the gates had even been opened. One of the guards high above in the watch tower shouted down to the others standing guard at the door itself and they hurried to open the big wooden door.   
  
The doors glided open and the Hokage stepped through with his guard and the door guards. In the distance he could see a pair of people walking sedately down the road. He spotted the white hair of his old student Jiriaya. From what he could see the man had aged a bit more but had not lost that look of confidence and cockiness he always wore.   
  
But it was the other person traveling with him that drew the Hokage's attention. The boy was of average height, his bright blond spiky hair making him look a bit taller then he actually was. He wore baggy black pants, a ninja net shirt,(kinda like the stuff Shikamaru wears) and a white front zip hoody with it's arms shorn off just above the wrist and red flames licking up the bottom. The Hokage could see the glint of metal coming from the boy's wrists and guessed he was wearing hand protectors much like Jiriaya's. He had a weapon's pouch strapped to his right leg and a ninja headband wrapped around his waist like a belt. The Hokage noticed Naruto was the only one carrying a back pack.  
  
When Jiriaya saw the gates open and saw who had stepped out to greet him he smiled and waved. *The old man must be pretty hyped to have the boy back.* he thought. He looked back at his blond student and smiled even wider. *He's gonna get more then he expected.*   
  
The Third Hokage held out his hand to his old pupil as the pair stopped in front of him. He shook hands with his old friend. "Welcome back Jiriaya. It has been a long time."  
  
Jiriaya patted the Hokage on his shoulder. "Hey old man. Its been a while but I'm finally back. You look as decrepit as ever." The Hokage smiled. "True, that's very true."   
  
He turned his attention to the younger of the two and finally got a good look at Naruto. He had guessed living with Jiriaya would affect the boy and was prepared for the changes. So when he saw the red tattoos streaking down from the boy's eyes and the slightly longer hair the boy sported in back he wasn't surprised. The boy looked like a mix between his father the Fourth and Jiriaya as a young boy. One other thing he noticed was that instead of a leaf forehead protector the boy wore one of a different design. It was a simple spiral. It was as if the point and stem of the leaf had been cut off just leaving the spiral heart. The old man would have to find out about it's significance later.   
  
Naruto bowed when he was confronted and the Hokage bowed back, a little hesitantly at first. *This is a shock* he thought. Where the boy had picked up manners was beyond him. Jiriaya was about as low life as men got. He'd never had much in the way of manner ever. "Welcome home Naruto-kun. I am glad to have you back with us." he said.  
  
Naruto straightened and gave him a dashing smile. The whisker marks and the cheek tattoos only made it look more fox like. "Thanks Hokage-sama. Jiriaya-sensei has told me all about you." His smile slipped and then returned but with a more irritated look thrown in. It was directed more at Jiriaya then anyone else. His tone of voice also went from polite to something more along the lines of a sassy, younger version of Jiriaya's voice. "If you hadn't have taken care of me before this pervert came along I'd have been dead long ago."   
  
Jiriaya laughed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ha ha ha he he...what a joker he is. Got a tongue like a whip he does. He's constantly coming up with new ways to insult me."  
  
Naruto looked back at the Hokage with pride and mocking in his voice. "It also helps that I can beat him up if he tries to take it to the next level." The Hokage noted that Jiriaya looked both extremely happy and mortified at the same time when Naruto said it.   
  
"I'm sure he's harder then that to take down." said the Leaf Leader. He was taking Naruto's boasting with a grain of salt but quickly revised his opinion when he saw Jiriaya shaking his head fervently. "No no, the boy's quite right. He gets me every time now. In a straight fight I'm not sure who would win but our fights are never clean. Anything goes...I mean anything." The old man shuddered. Naruto looked even more proud of himself if that was possible.   
  
*What did spending time with Jiriaya do to you Naruto?* the Hokage wondered. If Jiriaya was afraid of facing his student Naruto had to be very good indeed.   
  
Putting those thoughts aside the Third directed them through the gate and walked them personally to an apartment that had been prepared for them ahead of time. There Naruto placed his backpack, revealing a large red spiral on the back of his hoody.   
  
Jiriaya decided to go for a walk towards the hot springs district, much to the scorn of his student. But before Naruto could seriously begin insulting his teacher the Third grabbed his shoulder and led him out the door. "Now that you're here you can meet your new team. I'll take you there myself."   
  
So the two walked together, the old Hokage filling Naruto in on the layout of the town and some of the towns basic facts, while they walked towards the forest training area that Kakashi had picked as his team's training spot. The Hokage knew they would be there. They were there every day they didn't have a mission.   
  
Both of them heard Kakashi and his team before they ever set eyes on them. Shouts of Goukakyuu no Jutsu and explosions reached them from a good distance off. The Third chuckled. The group's training ground was always a checkerboard of burned ground and torched fallen trees. Both Sakura and Sasuke like the Grand Fireball technique a lot.  
  
The two entered the clearing to find a grand melee in progress. Kakashi was dodging a coordinated fireball attack from his students. The dual fireballs forced him to jump backwards, right into a trap of flying shuriken. A pin cushion of a log fell to the ground where Kakashi had been only to be blown to smithereens by an exploding note Kakashi had placed there before disappearing. The note sent the shuriken back towards his two students who managed to dodge or knock all of them aside. Once all flying objects had been accounted for the two scanned the area for their teacher. Instead of finding him alone they saw him walking towards a young blond haired boy and the Hokage himself.   
  
Kakashi had seen the pair enter the training ground. For fear of the fight endangering them he had cut it short to greet them. He saluted his leader. The Hokage waved the salute off. "You seem to be slipping Kakashi. Is teaching beginning to dull your edge?" the Hokage asked, his eyebrows arched.  
  
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and scratched his head. "Nope, those two are keeping me on my toes."   
  
As both he and the Hokage had a little chuckle Kakashi used the time to size up the blond boy that accompanied him. He defiantly looked like the product of Jiriaya's teaching and the Fourth's genes. Kakashi had been briefed on the boy's history. He already knew the true story of the Fourth's death and the Nine Tail's defeat. He knew the boy before him carried a demon inside. Kakashi, unlike some other people, didn't let that influence his opinion of the boy however. He was more interested in his fighting skills and experience then he was in the boy's outlook on his predicament. Being one of the Fourth's students, Kakashi wasn't going to take the son of his teacher lightly even if he hadn't had a demon sealed inside of him.  
  
As Kakashi sized up his new student Naruto took the time to size Kakashi up as well. Naruto wasn't dumb. He saw past the Jounin's lazy relaxed exterior and saw the power behind the facade. He was going to be interesting to have as a teacher. The one thing Naruto found strange about the man was the way he wore his head protector. He wore it slouched over one eye giving him something of a pirate look. Naruto filed the strange head gear away under his growing "Questions to be asked" file.   
  
A slightly out of breath Sasuke and a still heaving Sakura joined their teacher and the three young ninja locked eyes for the first time.   
  
The Hokage rested his hand on the blond's back. "Naruto, this is Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruna Sakura. Team Seven, this is Uzumaki Naruto."  
  
Got off to a good start on this story. Three chapters in one day. It'll slow down a bit, i do have college to attend, but look for more soon. I usually go on a writing binge and can't stop for a while. ; ) 


	4. Impressions

O-0 Wow...people really like this?! Cool! I'm happy so many people are enjoying my story. Thanks for the support. I'll try to remember your comments and suggestions when I write. Naruto has never been and never will be owned by me...everyone knows it, wish I didn't. On with the story!  
  
The three teens (or pre-teens, they're all the same to me) sized each other up.   
  
Sasuke's Thoughts - *Damn. This guy doesn't look like much. Wonder how good he is?*   
  
Simple and to the point. The fact that one of the three legendary Sennin had been his teacher was not lost on the Uchiha boy. He knew of their exploits as they had been one of the main topics in the academy ninja history class. If Kakashi was a good example of a Jounin at his peak then one of the three Sennin would almost be like a force of nature. If the blond boy in front of him had grown up with a Sennin as his sensei Sasuke might actually be able to like the boy.   
  
Sakura's Thoughts - *What's with the face paint? He looks like a clown! He is kinda cute though. But still, he doesn't look like a ninja, more like a punk actually.*   
  
Sakura too knew about the boy's teacher and his exploits as one of the three Sennin. She knew a bit more about them then Sasuke did though so she knew that his teacher, Jiriaya, was also well known for other things besides his ninja abilities. Being a book worm AND a constant listener to gossip Sakura knew that he was regarded as a perverted old man with low morals. This by itself didn't endear Jiriaya, and therefore her new teammate, to her being as she was of the female race and therefore a hater of all things perverted. The real kicker was that a month ago she had been able to get a peak at one of the books Kakashi-sensei kept with him almost constantly. Being the avid book worm that she was she noted things others might not have. The name of the author being one of them. Still, she wanted to give the boy in front of her the benefit of the doubt and not immediately peg him as a pervert just because his sensei was one. As for ability she had no doubt he was strong but she held supreme confidence in Sasuke's ability to best the boy. No Genin in the world could touch her Sasuke in combat.   
  
Naruto's Thoughts - *Ah great, a girl! Just my luck. Why does it have to be a girl, and a cute one at that? Uncool. Really uncool! That Sasuke guy looks strong though. Wonder if I can beat him.*   
  
Naruto knew very little about his new teammates. The only thing he knew about them was that they were supposedly smart. He actually knew more about his new teacher then the other two. A more detailed inspection of Kakashi had revealed a certain orange book corner sticking out of the man's pouch. That told him all he needed to know. Naruto instantly knew what book it was. He had seen it a million times before. He had seen it being written along with its companion books while he trained. He had watched as his sensei *gathered data* at every bath house from the Wind country to the Mist. If Jiriaya had one vice, Naruto thought, it was his extremely perverted nature. The fact that he shared it with the world through his books made it even worse. Because of his sensei's moral backwardness Naruto had taken an entirely different path. If girls drove sensei over the edge into a perverted old man then they must be bad. His favorite mantra for training, especially if Jiriaya was off some where spying, became "Hate girls, hate girls, hate girls, HATE GIRLS!" It didn't help that the pair never stayed anywhere long and that they stayed at the outer fringe of society. Naruto had never had much exposer to girls of his age, guys either, and had never seen a girl ninja at all. He knew they existed, but Sakura, and the other ninja women he'd just seen while walking through town, were really the first ones he'd ever seen. He had no idea how to judge how good they were or how to deal with them. Actually he didn't have much experience dealing with ANY kids his age. The only reason he had any manners at all was because he had had to develop them to cover for his sensei when the old man was caught spying or made mistakes. He quickly learned to treat any person older then him with respect. It made it easier to avoid the beatings his sensei received. No one ever believed that such a nice young man had anything to do with an old pervert like Jiriaya.  
  
All of this passed through their minds in moments. Naruto gave Kakashi a dirty little look then smiled at his two new teammates. He decided to try being nice. If that worked then he knew he was on the right path. If not...well...he'd think about that later. "Hi. Nice to meet you." he said trying to put his best foot forward. He gave them his trademark grin.  
  
Kakashi saw the dirty look and quickly deduced the reason. He silently cursed himself for his failure to make sure the book was hidden. He covertly pushed the book deeper into his pouch. *Great way to make a first impression* he thought glumly.  
  
Sakura said hello and Sasuke exchanged head nods. They would spend time to get to know each other later.   
  
The Hokage continued to smile as he turned to depart. "I will leave you four to get to know each other better. If you have trouble finding your way back to your apartment Naruto I'm sure one of your team mates would be glad to help you." The old man disappeared back up the trail he and Naruto had traveled just a few minutes before leaving the blond staring after him.   
  
After a moment of silence Naruto turned back to his new team and gave them another dashing smile. "Alright" he declared loudly, "lets get started Kakashi-sensei. Gotta train hard if we're gonna make it in the Chuunin Exam."  
  
*Well at least he gets to the point* Kakashi thought with a smile. "Ok then. I suppose we should get to know each other better if we're going to be a good team. Why don't you two" here he pointed at Sasuke and Sakura, "tell Naruto a little bit more about yourselves and Naruto can do the same for us. Your likes, dislikes, dreams, things like that."  
  
The four of them found some shade and sat down. Sakura spoke up first. "Well I like reading, studying, training and...boys. And I dislike idiots. Some day I hope to...getsasuketolikemeenoughtokissme." Sakura had been unsure whether to include the boy part in her likes and had had a very difficult time admitting coherently her dream. She mumbled the last half quickly and blushed heavily. She glanced at Sasuke several times then sat still.   
  
Sasuke had understood Sakura perfectly and gave a mental eye roll. The girl never stopped. Naruto on the other hand didn't understand a bit of her last statement. Before he could ask for her to say it again though Sasuke started.  
  
"I don't really like much. I dislike ton's of stuff. And, I wouldn't really call it a dream, an ambition really...to kill a certain man." Kakashi and Sakura weren't surprised to hear this. They had heard it once before when the team first met and had gotten hints of it through the months. Naruto, on the other hand, was speechless. *He's scary* was the only thing Naruto could think of.   
  
Naruto noticed everyone was staring at him. "Ah gomen. Um...well I love RAMEN. Eat it all the time. I also love to train. I don't like perverts, girls and vegetables. And my dream is to become a Hokage."   
  
Stoney silence met his statement. The other three were a bit surprised at his boldness and didn't know what to say for a while. He had been so nice earlier. Where had this bold personality come from?  
  
*Hokage eh?* Kakashi thought, *I thought so. But that pervert comment was meant for me. Gotta make sure I don't read those things in front of him.*  
  
*He...doesn't...like...girls?* Sakura was stunned. The boy was obviously good looking yet he didn't like girls? Not at all? *I guess living with Jiriaya-sama didn't make him a pervert, it made him the exact opposite.*  
  
Sasuke smiled lightly. *Sounds like my kinda guy. I guess this won't be so bad after all.*  
  
"Ok ok...now that that's taken care of we can move on to something more interesting." Kakashi stood and pulled a pair of bells out of his pocket. Sakura and Sasuke smiled, in Sasuke's case a light upward turn of one side of his lips was a smile, as they saw what their teacher was planning. They'd done this exercise several times before and knew what it was about only in their case it had only been one bell.   
  
"The point of this exercise is for you to get a bell from me by sundown." Kakashi walked over to a set of three posts and placed an alarm clock on the center one. "Use whatever means necessary to get them from me. You may even use your shuriken and kunai. You can only get them from me if you come at me with killer intent."  
  
Naruto stood and stretched. He had done these kind of exercises thousands of times before with Jiriaya-sensei. A confident smile graced his lips. "Yeah yeah yeah. I know the drill. You're gonna withhold food from us if we don't manage to get a bell in the appointed time right?"  
  
Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. The blond already knew the motivation behind the drill? *I guess he knows the rest then.*  
  
"Correct. Since you already know this drill I suppose I can skip the rest of my speech. Are you all ready?" he asked. A moments silence then... "Begin!"  
  
Instead of his three students disappearing from sight like they were supposed to Kakashi found that two vanished and one had remained. The smoke cleared, revealing a grinning Naruto still in the exact same spot he had been in a moment ago.  
  
Kakashi sweatdropped big time and gave Naruto a weird stare. "Uh, you're a bit off. You were supposed to hide."  
  
"Why bother?" Naruto said loudly as he cracked his knuckles "I'll kick your butt right now!"   
  
*That idiot. What does he think he's doing?* Sakura thought.  
  
Sasuke was of the same opinion. *What the hell? That total moron.*  
  
Naruto came in swinging hard with his fists. Kakashi let him come at him until he blocked at the last second. Using his remaining momentum Naruto launched into a series of kicks and swings that made a pretty decent combo. Kakashi blocked every attack however. He could sense that Naruto was testing him and allowed the boy to do so. The Jounin saw a number of flaws in the boy's taijutsu technique but it wasn't bad for a genin of his level.   
  
Finally Kakashi saw an opening so wide you could drive a cart through it. He took it. Naruto swung but found no one on the receiving end. A voice from behind him announced where his target was. "A ninja isn't supposed to be caught from behind over and over idiot."   
  
*Shit. A fire element jutsu at that close range?* Sasuke thought as he saw the seal Kakashi made.   
  
"Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique..."   
  
Naruto smiled slightly. *I don't think so old man.*  
  
"One thousand years of PAIN!" Kakashi stuck out...and hit nothing but illusion. The fake Naruto disappeared in a poof of smoke as Kakashi's hands passed through it. The Jounin's eye widened in shock. *Henge?* He stood and took a look around. *I underestimated him.*  
  
Naruto was watching Kakashi from a bush on the other side of the field. *If you're not going to take me seriously I'll just have to show you otherwise.* he thought as he began pulling out a kunai. The knife only made it half way out before a pine cone bounced off his head. Naruto turned his head and saw Sasuke sitting hidden in the tree above him. A very faint whisper reached his ears. "If you want to beat him idiot come with me."  
  
The words grated on Naruto. *Does he think he's better then I am? Who the hell does he think he is?* Another pine cone bounced off of his head, this time harder. Naruto abandoned his bush. *I'm going to follow you if only to beat you up.*  
  
In a tree several hundred feet away Naruto found Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura looked like she wanted to punch Naruto. "What the hell were you doing idiot? I thought you already knew this drill?" She practically yelled.   
  
Naruto gave her a similar glare. "Shut up Pinky" he said simply. Sakura's jaw dropped. No guy had ever insulted her like that. Only Ino came close but a girl's insults were a different matter. She was so mad she couldn't even answer back. Inner Sakura however was ready to kill the blond. Sasuke was surprised too. He'd never gone beyond calling her annoying and useless. Naruto obviously didn't have any inhibitions about using guy to guy tactics on girls.   
  
"I owe you for those pine cones pretty boy." Naruto said as he turned his ire on the Uchiha boy. Sasuke let the insult role off him. Insults from other guys his age didn't do much to annoy him.   
  
"This is supposed to be a team drill. We're supposed to work together to get the bells idiot." Sasuke said seriously.  
  
Naruto 'humphed'. "I've never been on a team before. My drills were all one on one. How was I supposed to know?"  
  
"Well we need to work together. Sakura and I have ever only gotten the bells once. I've touched them several times but never been able to get them on my own. He's to fast."  
  
Sakura got over her silent spell but instead of jumping the blond she decided to save his punishment for afterward. "Sasuke's right. We can't do it unless we work together."  
  
The three genin stared at each other for a moment. Naruto was the one that had the power to make or break the team and he knew it. After several moments of quiet Naruto sighed. He'd never done this before but there was a first time for everything. "Fine, what do you want me to do?" 


	5. Compatable Sort Of

Note: I'm really amazed. I never thought I'd get fifty some reviews in a little more then a day. A couple things. Yes I noticed my mistake in the last chapter. The "henge" was actually supposed to be a "bunshin". Caught it a bit late but oh well. Also I had a suspicion that I was spelling Sakura's name wrong, thanks for clarifying. As of yet there are no pairings and there will be no, repeat NO yaoi. Never have liked it and I probably never will. Relationships are different and Sasuke and Naruto will be a bit closer but there will be no liking "in that way". The chapters are getting longer as I go on but since I'm not really into mixing the real and made up stories yet I haven't had need for long, really detailed stories. I'll start that when they get to the Chuunin exam. Thanks for all the reviews and ideas. I'll try to incorporate the ones I like into the story.  
  
Again, blah blah "Standard don't own the series clause" blah blah. Now back to the story.  
  
Naruto had to admit that team tactics were a lot easier then he'd originally thought they would be. Sasuke had outlined a plan of action with Sakura and Naruto adding pieces until a solid battle plan resulted.   
  
Hidden behind a tree on the far side of the clearing from Kakashi-sensei, Naruto had a good ambush position for a rear attack once the other two managed to push their sensei his direction.   
  
Sasuke had asked Naruto to be "the final nail in the coffin" as he put it, in the trap they had set up.   
  
"Leave the pushing to us. You just make sure you're ready with your most powerful jutsu when we get him in position." Sasuke had said. That was all they asked of him.   
  
Not knowing Naruto or what his favored fighting styles were Sasuke and Sakura had left it open for him to choose the technique or techniques he would use. He had a good number to choose from, growing up training every day tended to do that to you, but after a short moment of thought Naruto chose his favorite.   
  
Now he was hidden, waiting for the attack to begin. He silently watched as the Jounin across the field read his book. He seemed totally relaxed but Naruto saw the small signs that showed he was actually quite alert.   
  
The fact that he was reading that...that...BOOK if you could even call it that...really got on Naruto's nerves. He would have thought a Jounin as good as Kakashi would find something better to do with his time. Of course, Naruto reflected dimly, he had a Sennin for a teacher and he was even worse then this guy. *I hope rank doesn't turn you into a pervert. Maybe its just old age.*  
  
Suddenly Sasuke flew out of the tree nearest their Jounin teacher, releasing a flurry of shuriken as he went. The trap had been sprung.  
  
*Huh, they've started again.* Kakashi thought as he dodged the rain of shuriken and set himself to block his flying student. The kick never came. Moments before the kick connected Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke. *Bunshin* Kakashi managed to note before he saw the true attackers. Sasuke and Sakura were charging him, each coming in at a forty-five degree angle from his center. Sakura coming from the left and Sasuke from the right.   
  
Kakashi smiled as he slipped his book away. They were serious this time. Almost as one the two genin threw a pair of kunai. Kakashi noted the small trail of smoke coming from them. His single eye widened as he realized what they intended. With a quick leap backwards he avoided the two exploding note kunai as they hit the spot he had just occupied and exploded. The smoke screen and dust cloud they produced still managed to cover Kakashi despite his effort to get clear of the blast zone.   
  
Sasuke and Sakura turned and cut off at angles again, this time heading away from each other in the hopes of flanking their sensei. Once they were a safe distance from each other they stopped and turned to present their fronts to the rapidly disappearing cloud. In almost perfect harmony the two called out their next jutsu.  
  
"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" the pair shouted. Twin fireballs crashed into the smoke cloud creating yet another explosion. This time Kakashi actually looked slightly singed as he skidded out of the fireball. He wasn't harmed in any way except for maybe a few hairs crisped here and there. Harm had not been the two genin's intention. They had done their job. They had gotten Kakashi to the other side of the clearing.  
  
*That was closer then it should have been.* Kakashi mused as he put his hand out to stop himself. *I wonder where Naruto is though. Is he planing something himself or is he working with the others?*  
  
Kakashi got his answer faster then he thought. He had almost stopped when a multitude of voices called out from behind him. "Hey sensei, I thought ninja weren't supposed to be caught from behind."  
  
The startled teacher turned to see twelve Narutos each winding up the throw two hand fulls of shuriken each. A practical storm of shuriken whistled through the air. Kakashi wouldn't have normally been bothered by this except that the shuriken were actually real, not just illusions. *Not just Bunshin but Kage Bunshin! What a guy.*  
  
Sasuke and Sakura watched in awe as the twelve Naruto's broke cover. At first they thought they were just illusions but they quickly saw that several had twigs or leaves stuck to them.   
  
"Twelve Narutos? No way! And they're all real!" Sakura managed to stutter.   
  
*What a guy* Sasuke thought, *I didn't know he could use Kage Bunshin. That's a Jounin level technique, and a forbidden one at that.*   
  
The only exit was up and Kakashi took it. Unfortunately Naruto knew that too. Kakashi jumped only to find a diving Naruto coming right down on top of him, his foot cocked back for a kick. "This is for underestimating me before. NARUTO RENDAN!"  
  
Kakashi took Naruto's heel right in the face. With a sickening thud Kakashi came back down to earth complements of the Naruto Express. Landing lightly next to him Naruto gave another of his foxy smiles and held up a V for victory. "How'd you like that sensei?" he asked mockingly.   
  
He wasn't expecting a response from his enemy but he got one. "Not bad, but still not good enough." The downed Kakashi disappeared, replaced by a log with a burning note stuck to it. Naruto's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. He only managed to say one thing before it went off.   
  
"Aww shit."  
  
The explosion threw Naruto half way across clearing. He landed awkwardly and bounced a couple times before coming to rest near Sakura. The girl rushed over to see if her new teammate was all right. He was blinking his eyes and trying to sit up before she managed to take the ten or so steps to get to him. "Naruto. Are you...ok?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
Naruto managed to sit up and take stock of himself. "Bastard got away from me." He lightly slapped away the hand she offered him as he stood. "I'm fine. I can get up on my own Pinky. I don't need your help."  
  
Naruto's face met the dirt for the second time in less then a minute as Sakura pounded him into a pancake. "DAMN YOU NARUTO!" she screamed. She stood there heaving with exertion from her herculean punch. "Damn that felt good."   
  
Sasuke was in total shock. He had never seen Sakura this mad before. A tick under his eye said it all. *Note to self: Never get Sakura mad at me...ever.*  
  
Kakashi appeared next to the boy shaped hole in the ground where Naruto lay twitching. He surveyed the damage then looked at the one who had dealt the damage. "Um Sakura? Was the really necessary?" he asked. Sasuke joined him in looking at the hole in the ground.  
  
"Of course it was Kakashi-sensei. He needed to be taught a lesson." Sakura said as she managed to get her breathing under control.  
  
Kakashi was about to give her a list of reasons for it not being necessary but a sound from the hole beneath him interrupted. "Damn girl. Why'd you hit me so hard?" To the amazement of the other members of team seven Naruto struggled out of the hole and flopped down on his back. His whole front side was dirty and bruised but otherwise he looked ok. One eye opened and he eyed his team. Sakura's jaw had hit the ground, Sasuke looked shocked but was smiling slightly, and Kakashi just stood there.   
  
*The boy is indestructible* Kakashi thought. *Can someone really be that tough?*  
  
Naruto smiled, closed his eye, and slept.  
  
****  
  
Someone was washing his face. Naruto opened an eye to peek at his attendant and saw it was Sakura. She was dabbing his forehead and cheeks with a wet cloth. Naruto could hear a little stream near by.  
  
The wet cloth left his face for a moment then he felt it return, wetter then before. He reached up and grabbed it. "I can do it myself" he said.   
  
Sakura stared wide eyed as Naruto slowly sat up. He was obviously in pain but managed to get up and look around at his settings. They were next to a little pebble river on a grass covered bank. A fire burned merrily a few feet away and he could see Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei sitting next to it frying up some fish. The sun was setting over the hills to the west. With a final wipe of his face Naruto tossed the rag back to Sakura.  
  
She missed it and it landed in her lap. She glared at him and threw it back, hitting him in the face as he stood. "Is that the thanks I get?" she asked angrily. Naruto grabbed the rag and almost threw it back with a sharp remark to follow but suddenly thought better of it and turned away. A muttered "thanks" reached Sakura's ears as he went to join the other males of the team.  
  
Sasuke handed him a hot fish on a stick as he sat down on one of the logs that had been gathered round the fire. "That was a very good combination you performed Naruto-kun" Kakashi said as he happily munched on his own fist.   
  
The blond boy took a bite out of his fish and smiled a bit. "Thanks. But I was going easy on you you know. Didn't want to hurt you."  
  
Sasuke almost laughed, a serious breach of character for him, but managed to turn it into a coughing fit without to much trouble. "Sorry, must have gotten a piece of bone stuck in my throat."  
  
Sakura joined them and grabbed the last of the fish from the fire. She munched on it quietly and shot glares at Naruto every once in a while. Kakashi watched the kids interact with interest. They had pulled off a well thought out and well timed attack with no previous experience working together. If what he had seen was a good indication of the future then everything looked good. Of course there was the small problem of an angry Sakura. Kakashi had never imagined she could pound someone so far into the ground with just one punch. She had never displayed that sort of strength before. *Looks like Naruto manages to bring out the worst in her. Or the best...I guess it depends on the way you look at it.*  
  
After eating and some more small talk Kakashi got up and announced they were done for the day. "I'll see you three here bright and early tomorrow morning. We meet at seven Naruto-kun." He turned and was about to leave when he thought of something else. He turned and threw one of the bells to Naruto, who caught it. "You earned it." He smiled then added with a hint of his dry sarcasm, "Next time don't go easy on me. Goodnight." With a poof of smoke the gray haired Jounin was gone, leaving the three genin to clean up and put out the fire.  
  
Within a minute the fire was out and almost all the evidence of their meal was gone. Sasuke and Sakura retrieved their bags and nodded back toward town. "I guess we're walking you home." Sakura snorted. Naruto tried not to snear at her. He did need help getting back and couldn't afford to make Sakura angry again. "Yeah...thanks" he managed.  
  
After a quiet walk back into town the three fumbled around a little bit till they found a street that Naruto remembered. They soon located Naruto's new dwelling. Jiriaya was sitting outside the door smoking a pipe, something he rarely did. He stood as he saw them coming and quickly stashed it away along with the pad of paper he had been taking notes on from his day's expedition to the bath houses.   
  
"Hey Naruto. How was it?" He asked as they stopped in front of him. Naruto gave him a knowing smile that almost looked scary. "Good, and how was your day...E-ro-Sen-nin?"   
  
Jiriaya laughed nervously. Had Naruto really needed to call him by that name in front of his two new teammates? Then he noticed the pink hair and pretty features of one of those said teammates. He blushed and smiled. "And what's your name my pretty?"  
  
Naruto clocked him a good one on the head. "Pervert Sennin, don't start hitting on my teammates! I told you to cut it out while we were here."   
  
A slightly dazed Jiriaya shook his head. "Gomen." *I knew I shouldn't have done that in front of him* he thought.   
  
Sakura couldn't help but ask Naruto. "Um Naruto. Is he your...father?" She whispered.  
  
Naruto's eyebrows were still twitching. "That pervert? If I had been his kid I would have disowned him years ago."  
  
For the first time the three genin of Team Seven had a good laugh together. Well actually it was more like a smile from Sasuke, a giggle from Sakura, and a loud obnoxious laugh from Naruto, but it was as good as it got for them. 


	6. Thoughts on a New Day

Note: Several of you have asked about Naruto defeating Jiriaya in a fight. I said that in a straight fight Jiriaya didn't know who would win. He was trying to appease Naruto with that. Jiriaya would win hands down if they fought for real. Yet that rarely happens. They more frequently engage in wars of words which sometimes escalate to little brawls with dirty moves and the such. This type of fight always turns in Naruto's favor for one reason only. He has a special move that he has so far only used on Jiriaya. What could make a Sennin so afraid of his own student you ask. What move could he possibly use against a ninja as good as Jiriaya? I'll leave you to think on that. Another thing that seems to be popping up is the thought that Naruto and Jiriaya's relationship is much like that of Ranma and Genma's from Ranma ½. Well you're right. I had that in mind when I started writing the two's interactions. After all they have been on a training journey for many years. We'll just leave out the fiances and cursed springs.  
  
I don't own it, why do I keep saying it?  
  
Later that night Naruto lay in his new bed unable to sleep despite his exhausted state. He could hear the snores of his sensei coming through the thin walls from the next room over. They didn't bother him, he had learned to tune them out after years of practice.  
  
It was his mind that refused to allow the peace of sleep to fall upon him. The events of the day were replaying themselves over and over despite his attempts to block them. His arrival, meeting with the Hokage and the whirlwind tour of his new residence and town, and the meeting of his team and their subsequent training. All continued in a never ending wheel of images and feelings.  
  
After an hour or so of this and no sign of sleep in sight Naruto slipped out of bed, re-donned his cloths, grabbed a cape out of his backpack, and hopped out his window onto the roof.   
  
The moon was a white crescent in the cloudless sky, illuminating the roof tops and avenues of Konoha. A few lights were still on here and there but for the most part the town was asleep. A light wind ruffled his hair as he sat down and took a deep breath of the cool night air.  
  
Naruto instantly began to feel better. This was where he belonged, out in the elements. He had spent so much time in the forests and deserts of the land that he had never really gotten used to city life. Jiriaya would set up camp in a town for anywhere from one night to several months but for the most part they were on the road training. As such real beds were both thought of as a luxury and a curse to Naruto. They sounded nice when you weren't in them but when you finally got one your body was to used to the hard ground to enjoy it. So Naruto had developed a habit of sleeping on patios, porches, roofs, floors, or even in his little pup tent that he carried with him instead of attempting sleep in a bed.  
  
His mind began to ease into a more regular, less clutter filled, pattern as he watched the stars and moon wheel above him. Another benefit to sleeping under the stars was that it offered the perfect place for thought and reflection. His thoughts wandered to his new life and the burden he carried.  
  
Jiriaya had given the boy the scroll that explained his background months ago. Naruto had read it once then given it back and walked off to train alone. The boy didn't return for a couple days but when he did had a deep talk with Jiriaya about what the scroll had said.  
  
—Flashback—  
  
"So I'm a demon...is that it?" Naruto asked when he found Jiriaya again.  
  
The old man quickly stashed away his books and notes he'd been working on. "No not at all. You're exactly the opposite Naruto, you're the savior of a village. You're the last hope and dream of a great man."  
  
Naruto's mouth twitched. The subject of Naruto's father had only surfaced once when a six year old Naruto had asked if Jiriaya was his father. Jiriaya had laughed then gotten serious. "No boy, but I knew your father. Some day you will know about him...but not today."  
  
"But I have a demon inside me. What difference does it make? Like that scroll said no one will accept me, no one will acknowledge my existence. So why am I alive then? Why did they keep me alive?" Naruto looked confused and sad. Jiriaya had never seen the boy like this before. He was always so full of energy and life but now...now he looked dead, like a lifeless shell of a person.  
  
Jiriaya sighed. He had been expecting this. He ruffled the boy's hair and patted his shoulder. "Because without you the Nine Tails would be free to wreak havoc again. As long as you're alive he can't do that. Your father, the Fourth Hokage, entrusted this mission to the only person he thought could do the job properly. His blood runs through your veins. He was a strong man but he knew his son would surpass him one day. As you grow and get stronger the Nine Tails will get weaker as your body begins to absorb his chakra. Eventually he will cease to be. That is why you live Naruto. You live to save Konoha from destruction.  
  
A spark of hope brought light back to the boy's sky blue eyes. The Fourth, his father, had trusted him that much? He had given him the responsibility to protect Konoha.   
  
"But the Leaf won't accept me." He said, this time with more feeling in his voice. "They hate me for the demon I carry. How can I grow strong and gain respect if they hate me?"  
  
Jiriaya smiled. "That's part of the reason you were put in my care boy. To get you away from those feelings. By now the village will have forgotten you. The Hokage will have seen to that. All they will see is a boy out to prove himself. They won't know your secret and as long as you work hard and stay low it'll stay that way."  
  
— End Flashback—  
  
Naruto grinned at the night. He had a mission. He had to become strong. He had to become Hokage!  
  
He stood and punched the air with his fists, his cape fluttering around him. "I will gain your respect" he shouted. The wind picked up his words and spread them over the sleeping village. "I will become HOKAGE!"  
  
In the room below Jiriaya opened his eyes and smiled. *He's on his way my friend* he thought. *he's got your determination. Lets hope he has the strength to stay on the path.*  
  
The old white haired man rolled over and went back to sleep.  
  
****  
  
The alarm clock jarred Naruto out of sleep. An arm reached up, not from the bed but from the floor, and smacked the clock. A spiky blond head poked out of a pile of sheets on the floor and looked around groggily. A groan escaped his lips as he saw that he only had a few minutes to get ready before he had to leave. It didn't help that he had only gotten to bed a few hours before.  
  
With zombie like slowness Naruto clawed his way to standing and stumbled to the bathroom. He washed up and came out slightly less tired looking then he had. He dug around in his pack for a new pair of cloths and tossed them on. (Note: It really bugs me how they always wear the same cloths. But I'll stick with it unless I say otherwise)   
  
With an apple in his mouth and two more in his back pouch he opened the door. A surprised Sakura had just raised her hand to knock on the door when it opened. Both looked shocked that the other was there. Naruto was the first to recover. "Good morning." he grumbled around the apple.   
  
Sakura lowered her hand and tried to smile. She had decided to try her hardest not to let her new teammate get under her skin. They needed to come together and she was going to try her best to make it happen. *He's just tired that's all. He probably didn't get enough sleep last night* she thought. "I thought I'd walk with you this morning. Do you mind?"  
  
Naruto stepped out of the door and closed it. "Fine."  
  
The two teammates trudged through the early morning light in silence. The few people who were out and about stared at the odd new boy. They whispered to each other as the two passed. Sakura glared at them but Naruto appeared to remain unaware as he munched on his apple.   
  
They had just passed through the city gates when Sakura saw a familiar group of people walking in the opposite direction. Team Eight was coming back from an all night mission of some kind and looked like tired. Sakura tried to remember the team members names. Kiba she knew well enough because of his loud voice and brash nature. His dog Akamaru was asleep on his head. The tall black haired boy was an easy one to remember. Shino had actually been one of Sakura's early crushes before she found out that he had absolutely no interest in girls. He had been more interested in bugs then anything else. The third genin member of Team Eight, the quiet purple haired girl, looked the most tired of the group. *What is her name?* Sakura wondered. *It started with an H didn't it?* The name of the tall female Jounin accompanying them also slipped her mind.  
  
Kiba spotted Sakura at about the same time she saw him. He perked up and waved, a cocky grin on his face. His dog also woke and barked a greeting to her. Sakura waved half heartedly back. She hated dealing with Kiba.  
  
"Yo Sakura-chan. What's up?" Kiba said as the two groups came together.   
  
"Not much, just going out to train." Sakura answered. She really didn't like talking to the loud mouth boy.  
  
Kiba sized up the blond boy that was accompanying Sakura. "Who's this guy? New teammate?" he asked her.   
  
Naruto gave Kiba a similar stare but chose to stay silent for the time being.  
  
Kiba, slightly peeved that his stare was having no effect on the new genin, chose to push a little farther. "Doesn't look like much. Good luck getting into the Chuunin exam with him."   
  
That touched a button. "I'd be more worried about your team flea brain then someone else's." Naruto commented dryly. He dearly wanted to drop kick this guy over the wall but refrained from doing so. *I'll get him some other time during the exam. Loud mouth won't be acting so tough when I grind his face into the dust.*  
  
The dog ninja was a bit surprised to find the boy dishing insults right back out at him. He spit on the ground and laughed. "Ha. You talk big but can you fight big?" Kiba asked, taking a step forward.   
  
Naruto mirrored Kiba's move, bringing the two within easy striking distance of each other. "Look who's talkin loud mouth. You couldn't hit me if I gave you the chance."  
  
Before Kiba could throw back another insult or worse, throw his fist, a quiet voice spoke up. "Kiba-kun. Please don't fight." The purple haired girl stepped forward and pulled at Kiba's jacket lightly. Naruto and Kiba turned to look at her. She released his jacket and interlaced her fingers while blushing profusely.   
  
*Another girl. What a weird personality* Naruto thought to himself. *She'll never make a good ninja if she acts like that.* He caught sight of her eyes and was startled to see they were a creamy white in color. *Whoa...really weird.*  
  
Kiba smiled at his teammate and crossed his arms behind his head in a stretch. "You're right Hinata. Why bother with a dimwit like him. Come on, lets go." Akamaru barked his agreement. Kiba returned to walking. "See you around Sakura-chan. Bye baka boy."  
  
Naruto gave Kiba's retreating back an evil grin that promised trouble. "I'll bring a wok next time so I can stir fry that dog of yours after I beat you" he said casually.   
  
Kiba turned with murder in his eyes and charged back at Naruto only to be stopped by one of Shino's outstretched arms. "Damn you! No one insults Akamaru like that and gets away with it! Come here, I'm gonna rip your arms off and beat you with them!"  
  
But Naruto had already started walking away. He waved a hand back over his shoulder. "Nah, I'll save your beating till next time dog breath." Sakura jogged after him to catch up and the two continued on their way.  
  
Yuuhi Kurenai, Team Eight's Jounin leader, watched the whole scene unfold without batting an eyelash. *So this is the boy Kakashi was talking about. Uzumaki Naruto. Interesting guy. I wonder how he'd fare against Kiba in a real fight.*  
  
Kurenai felt something touch her hand. Hinata was looking up at her questioningly. "Um Sensei. Who's that boy?" She asked.   
  
Kurenai smiled at her little purple haired student then looked again at the now distant backs of the two Team Seven genin. "His name is Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."  
  
Hinata turned her white eyes back to the blond haired boy. She let the name roll around on her tongue. "Naruto-kun." She said softly. 


	7. Teamwork and Training

Thanks everyone for all the reviews you're giving me. Its really helping my confidence. Its keeping me on this writing streak longer. See last six chapters for my thoughts on story ownership and such.  
  
"I've never seen anyone make Kiba that mad before. You certainly have a flair for that don't you?" Sakura said as they neared the training grounds.   
  
Naruto gave her a foxy grin as he tossed away his apple core. "I try."  
  
Sakura saw that he was in a better mood after their confrontation with Kiba. *Now's the perfect time to ask him some questions* Sakura thought.   
  
"Um, Naruto-kun...can I ask you something?" Sakura said. Naruto looked at her quickly but she didn't make eye contact with him, choosing instead to keep her eyes on the path. This was the first time she had tried to have a conversation outside of training. Naruto didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.   
  
"I guess so."   
  
"Why don't you like girls Naruto?"  
  
Naruto answered before his mind could catch his mouth. "Girls are stupid, weak, and they distract you from train...uh." Naruto suddenly felt a horrible sensation creeping up his spine. At the same time he realized who had asked the question.   
  
"Um well you see" He started to say, "...its kind of a thing I...uh...uh oh."  
  
The blond turned to see that Sakura had stopped. A blue corona of chakra was burning around her unlike any the boy had ever seen before. Sakura cracked her knuckles and sent a glare at the blond that would have melted metal.   
  
*Damn! Gotta do something!* Visions of the punch he had received yesterday filled Naruto's mind and froze him in place, making it all the more easy for Sakura to deliver a punch even Popeye would have whistled at. Naruto disappeared in a cloud of dust. When it was gone there was a crater ten feet wide in the road with Naruto laying at its center.  
  
Sakura was breathing heavily as she surveyed the damage. *Why can't I ever do that in training?* Sakura wondered. With a fizzle of energy and a poof of smoke the downed Naruto turned into a log, one that had definitely seen better days. The real Naruto dropped from a tree a few feet away from the crater.   
  
"Kawarimi?" Sakura managed as her gaze went from the log to the real Naruto.   
  
"Um yeah, that was Kawarimi. Um, listen...can we make a deal Sakura-san?" Naruto was looking really uncomfortable for some reason, maybe it was because he was looking at a crater he should have been in.  
  
Sakura cocked her head to one side and gave him a puzzled look. Her chakra had dissipated and finally disappeared all together but she was still breathing rather hard. "A deal?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah." Naruto was scratching the back of his head now. Sakura could feel his un-comfort growing. "If I...promise to try and stop myself from saying things about girls around you will you...stop hitting me so hard?"   
  
Sakura couldn't believe her ears. Here was a genin, who up until that point had been totally unafraid of anything as far as Sakura knew and was a total hater, or at least disliker, of women kind, now asking a GIRL to stop hitting him because he was apparently scared of her. It was too much. Inner Sakura was ecstatic. **I finally have power over a male! This is too good to pass up. Push for more!** (Double ** means inner Sakura from now on) "Ok but only if you stop calling me Pinky too" she said.   
  
Naruto stared at her and worked his jaw for a moment. He didn't want to lose his favorite tag for her but if it meant not getting put six feet under for a mere insult he could do it. He'd just come up with another one in a day or so anyway. "Uh...ok. That's fine."  
  
Sakura beamed. She walked forward until she stood above the log in the center of the crater. She stuck out her hand. "Shake on it" she demanded. Naruto hesitantly stepped forward into the crater and shook her hand. A thought struck him as they shook. *She's got such small soft hands.*(Relatively speaking for a ninja)  
  
*Maybe now I can finally get to like this guy* Sakura thought. She didn't let go of his hand and instead started to walk again, dragging him along with her.  
  
"Hey! Let go of me Pin...I mean Sakura-san." Sakura smiled even wider.   
  
Sasuke and Kakashi(Yes for once Kakashi has made it there before Sakura) were standing under a shady tree just inside the clearings edge. They both looked up as Sakura and Naruto entered the clearing. Kakashi instantly noticed something different about the two genin. Naruto wasn't the energetic boy he had been yesterday. He seemed a bit reserved or thoughtful. Sakura on the other hand seemed to have stolen Naruto's smile as well as his energy. She was practically bouncing as she walked and wore a smile that split her face from ear to ear.  
  
"Good morning Sasuke-kun! Good morning Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said as the two of them crossed the clearing to their team mate and teacher.  
  
Sasuke didn't even grunted a good morning. He seemed to be in his usual "the world is below me" attitude again. *He lightened up a bit yesterday when Naruto showed up. Maybe he's making up for that by being extra moody today* Kakashi thought.   
  
Naruto seemed to snap out of his reflective daze and smiled. "Morning Sasuke, morning Kakashi-sensei. So...what are we doing today?"  
  
Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the tree. "Yesterday you proved you could work together as a team. Now its time to perfect that team work." He got nods from all three. "Since you three haven't really grown up together and have never seen all of each others techniques, or even heard of some of them, you should start with telling each other about your abilities. This is going to be essential if I'm going to get you ready in a week since I can mold what we do around your collective strengths and weaknesses. Sakura, you go first again."  
  
Sakura thought about it for a second before beginning her list. "Well...I know ABOUT a lot of jutsu but I can't perform that many. Lets see...I can do Bunshin, Kawarimi, Henge, and Goukakyuu. I'm pretty good with figuring out Genjutsu too. Um, I'm also working on my taijutsu but it's not great." Sakura blushed when she mentioned taijutsu. *Being the weakest physically of the three makes the taijutsu problem the biggest I guess* Kakashi thought. *Looks like she'll be needing help in that area.*  
  
Sasuke immediately launched into a long, for a genin, list of genjutsu and ninjutsu. Most of the ninjutsu were fire based. The last one was a surprise to Kakashi because of its difficulty. *What a guy, to be able to do Ryuuka no Jutsu. I've never seen him do it before. He must practice a lot at home.* Sasuke rounded up his list by saying that he believed he was very good at taijutsu.  
  
Naruto grinned as he heard some of the things Sasuke could do and frowned at others. When it was his turn he started counting jutsu off on his fingers. "Hmm...well I know Bunshin, Kawarimi, and Henge. I know Goukakyuu, Naruto Rendan which you saw a version of yesterday, I made it myself, Kage Bunshin is my favorite, I'm learning Shuriken Kage Bunshin right now, and I also know one other that is so secret that only Jiriaya-sensei knows it and even he dares not speak its name."   
  
The temptation got the better of Sakura and she asked the question. "What's it's name?"  
  
"Oh I dare not speak it." Naruto said with a weird grin.   
  
The other three sweat dropped. (Yes its my moment of Zim)  
  
Almost as an afterthought Naruto added one final jutsu. "Oh yeah, I also know Karyuu Endan."  
  
Naruto had saved that one for last just to see what kind of reaction he would get out of the other three. He wasn't disappointed.   
  
Sakura just stared at him in disbelief. She knew about the jutsu, being as it was probably the most powerful fire jutsu available, but had marked it as something she wouldn't be seeing any time before she hit jounin level. How was Naruto able to accomplish something a born genius like Sasuke hadn't even been able to touch yet? *Is Naruto really that good?*  
  
The only thing that was keeping Kakashi's jaw from dropping was his mask. It was probably a good thing to. Teachers should not be seen to look shaken in front of their students but the jounin momentarily forgot about that little rule and just gawked.  
  
But it was Sasuke's reaction that made it worth it. It was one to remember because for because it was the first time anyone on the old Team Seven could say they saw Sasuke loose it. The boy practically shot to his feet where he quivered in what could only be called sheer unbridled shock and disbelief. "Wh...WHAT? YOU KNOW KARYUU ENDAN?! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" he screamed. Sakura leaned away from the strange yelling person that had replaced the quiet Uchiha from several seconds ago.   
  
Naruto squinted his eyes a bit as if he was weathering a storm but never lost the big foxy smile he had. "Yep its true. I asked Jiriaya-sensei to teach me the most powerful fire jutsu he knew and that's what I got. Couldn't do it for the longest time but I eventually got the hang of it. I can't hold it for very long though. A couple of seconds max."  
  
The blond boy grinned inwardly. He was telling a little white lie when he said he couldn't hold it for long. There had been one time half a year ago when Naruto had been really emotional and relatively drained of chakra at the same time. He had accidently gotten a bit to heated with his teacher and released some of the Nine Tails chakra in the process. The resulting jutsu had carved a scorched path twenty feet wide and a hundred and fifty feet long and melted a small boulder that had been in its path to molten goo.   
  
Naruto had learned early on that he had two types of chakra. Jiriaya had been very careful through the years to keep the red chakra from coming out saying that he would train Naruto in its use and control later. The dragon fire episode, as Naruto came to call it, had been the first and so far the only time he had used the red chakra either on purpose or accidently. Jiriaya had chided him for getting so careless but in the end had said that Naruto had taken the first step towards harnessing the red chakra. At that point Naruto had had no idea that the red chakra was linked to a demon inside him, that came later.  
  
"No, I refuse to believe that" Sasuke said as he shook his head vigorously, "there's just no way." Sakura wasn't liking this emotional Sasuke very much. *I'm to used to him being quiet and sullen. He's scary like this.*  
  
Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Should I demonstrate?"   
  
Kakashi didn't say anything so Naruto took that as a go ahead. He turned away from the group and looked for a good target. He picked one of the logs someone had used the previous day as a kawarimi and lined up on it. Naruto sucked in a huge breath, puffing out his narrow chest as far as he could. Kakashi snapped out of his daze when he saw what Naruto was planning. Before he could stop him however Naruto had performed the hand seals and summoned the chakra necessary.   
  
"Katon Karyuu Endan" he thought as his cut loose his attack.  
  
A half dome of fire appeared in front of naruto, out of which shot a narrow stream of flame that expanded as it went. The log was engulfed in flames for a few seconds, totally lost to sight. Then the firestorm ended and the log reappeared, a much smaller burnt version of itself. The grass and dirt leading up to and around the log had turned black. A few small fires were still burning here and there.   
  
With a wobble Naruto fell over sideways into the grass and relaxed. After a few moments he managed to roll over and look at his team. "Used too much chakra on that one" he said with a tired smile.   
  
*What a guy* Kakashi thought, *His attack is probably not as powerful as Sasuke's Ryuuka no Jutsu but just the fact that he can manage it says a lot. His chakra control is very good also. He's still not as good as Sakura in that respect but he's not bad either. I doubt this will sit very well with Sasuke.*  
  
Kakashi had nailed Sasuke's reaction perfectly. Sasuke was both surprised and angry. The anger was more directed at himself for allowing his emotions to show but there was still some directed at Naruto. He could use a technique that the heir of the Uchiha clan, which had a specialty in fire jutsu, couldn't do. *Damn. I underestimated him a lot. There's no way I can let this guy get ahead of me. I can't allow it.* With a glare and a humph Sasuke reseated himself.  
  
Naruto eventually managed to crawl back over to where he had been seated. Kakashi shook his head and spoke again. "Ok, now that we've done that I think I know where to begin."  
  
  
  
Kakashi spent the rest of the day talking about team tactics and how to best employ their individual jutsu specialties within the group. He made them take notes and draw diagrams, much to their disgust, of tactics and battle plans for various situations.   
  
The week flew by in a storm of training. Kakashi had them implement the tactics he had talked about in a large variety of faux missions and encounters ranging from one person attacking the other two to all three attacking their teacher and everything in between.   
  
Team Seven's teamwork improved markedly. Sakura had been encouraged by the arrival of the last member of their team and had pushed herself to show Naruto what she was capable of. Sasuke had decided to put Naruto in his "must show up" category. He took every opportunity to try to best Naruto at whatever they were doing. Kakashi noted to Naruto quietly that this was Sasuke's way of telling him that he considered Naruto a worthy opponent. Naruto took that as a challenge himself and gave the training his all. While he was still new to teamwork he was catching on fast and improved visibly over the week.   
  
A side benefit to this was that they each began to gain respect for and change each other. Naruto began to see that, at least in Sakura's case, not all girls were bad. He still didn't like girls but he was more willing to see them as potentially strong allies or opponents in combat. While he still insulted her it became more commonly used to drive her higher, not lower. And the amazing thing was that Sakura wasn't taking serious offense to the verbal barbs like she had the first day. Kakashi also saw that Naruto was beginning to, if ever so slowly, draw Sasuke out of his shell. Friday even saw the two take a lunch break together at a ramen stand Naruto had found near his apartment.  
  
Finally the night before the exam saw the whole team treated by Kakashi to dinner. What Kakashi didn't say was that they were each budgeted to one dish or bowl each. Naruto had ten. After many shouts of "Stingy" Naruto reluctantly paid his bill with the laughter of Sakura and the chuckles of Sasuke ringing in his ears.   
  
Each left for their homes with high expectations for the next day. They certainly wouldn't be disappointed.  
  
All right. Next time we launch into the Chuunin exams. This will take longer because I'll actually have to go back and look at the manga and anime more so I can know the exact sequence of events and words used.   
  
A quick note on power levels: Sasuke is slightly more powerful then he is at this point in the normal story line. He still has slightly sloppy chakra control. Naruto is just at or below Sasuke with about the same amount of control too, much better then his control in the real story. Sakura is below the boys but still much better off then she is normally. Her chakra control is perfect as always. Reasons: Less distraction from other cast members during training. Naruto has been training since he could walk, Sasuke about the same. Sakura's motivation and methods have changed as well. 


	8. Your Questions Answered NOT A CHAPTER

Ok, finally got some criticism, very pointed in fact. I don't like it much but I do respect people for voicing it since my fiction can grow because of it.   
  
Lots of people seem to think that a Jiriaya trained Naruto from the start would be a lot stronger then Sasuke. Ok, I'll give you that but I'll give you my main reason for going by this route. A hyper powerful Naruto at this point would be boring. If he could take on team seven's opponents in the forest and win every time then beat Kiba a short time later you'd get bored after a while. Ok so how's he going to do it this time? What new technique will he dazzle us with? And so on. Maybe I should clarify several things about Naruto's training and jutsu in this story.  
  
For starters...saying Naruto could beat Jiriaya in a no moves barred fight hands down. Now normally I would agree with you. Jiriaya is after all a legendary ninja taught by the most learned ninja ever. But what do you think of when I say "no moves barred"? Don't you think that being around a perverted old man your whole life might effect a certain "trademark" Naruto move? Since I won't be revealing it in the story until the month between the prelims and finals I might as well say it now. I'm talking of course about the Sexy no Jutsu. You think it's powerful in the real storyline? Think about a sexy no jutsu that has been perfected after years of work on a single pervert. Naruto by now knows Jiriaya's every weakness and can use them against him. In the regular storyline the sexy no jutsu doesn't have much effect on Jiriaya but imagine a sexy no jutsu so perfect that it had double the effect of the Harem no jutsu used on Ebusa(sp). I was thinking a massive geyser of blood rocketing Jiriaya to untold heights only to come crashing down to be pummeled to within an inch of death by a, at least in Jiriaya's mind, perfect nude women hellbent on teaching the old fart a lesson. Ultimate pleasure, aka the perfect women, mixed with ultimate pain, aka a near death beating. I'd say that's worthy of Jiriaya's fear and respect.   
  
Another item on the list is Naruto's power level relative to Sasuke's. This is a bit harder to explain. Right now I'm going on the idea that Jiriaya and Naruto were focusing on chakra control and absolute mastery of jutsu. Naruto is notorious for underpowered or incomplete jutsu. I set out to remedy this. In my story Naruto is more like Sasuke, a perfectionist when it comes to jutsu. He has to have everything down before he begins work on a new jutsu. Having twelve years of exclusive training allows for this type of learning. Sure he doesn't have many jutsu but its more then he regularly has and the ones he knows are nearly perfect when performed. Most likely Jiriaya was often away playing the lecher which left Naruto to practice his techniques and not learn new ones. The Rasengan and the Summoning will come later, during the break between matches just like Sasuke's Lightning edge, not during and after the exams like in the normal story. Another issue that is in the same area in question is his taijutsu abilities. He is better at it then normal and considering Sasuke is better in this story as well and Naruto is at almost the same level as Sasuke means he's actually quite good. Maybe at Lee's speed with his weights on and about his level in attacks minus the lotus moves. (That will be an interesting match up when I write Lee's challenge, if I do) Naruto's use of the Naruto Rendan was a special move that he included in his jutsu just because of its use of shadow clones. Otherwise I'd be inclined to agree that its not that special.   
  
The last major area in question is that of the nine tails chakra. Probably the hardest one and the one I've actually thought the least about since we skipped over its first use and haven't gotten to its second use yet. Jiriaya was more concerned with strengthening Naruto along normal lines for most of the time. He wanted the boy to slowly absorb the nine tails by gaining strength himself. He didn't want to involve the other chakra seeing as Naruto hadn't known about its origin at that point. But when Naruto accidently let some of the red stuff slip like I said it made Jiriaya take a closer look at that problem. The subsequent reading of the scroll opened up the path for training in that area which will happen again during the interlude between matches. This time however it will be much easier and much more profitable for Naruto.  
  
I hope that answers some of the question people had about the story. I am always willing to take criticism of my work. Feel free to email me at either of my two addresses, Swiftlh2@yahoo.com or lmhoover@puc.com or chat with me online using MSN messenger and the yahoo mail address if you feel that the problem needs serious discussing. I'll talk even if you just want to chat. I'm always looking for someone to chat with especially if you want to talk about writing or anime. Since my normal friends aren't on much at all any more.  
  
Ok, that's it. I should have another chapter up by tomorrow, Saturday at the latest. Right now I'm trying to watch the first exam and get it down pat so I can feel confident when I change things. I'm also really looking forward to the next episode of both the manga and the anime which I should be getting friday/Saturday. Until then...happy reading. *Salutes his readers and marches off to watch naruto and write some more fanfiction.* 


	9. It's the Chuunin Exam!

Sorry it took longer then i thought. I had lots of stuff to do this weekend and the chapter just kept getting pushed back. But i got it done... i don't own naruto.  
  
Team Seven met at the little red bridge the next morning at nine. Sakura had shown Naruto where it was the previous day but after thirty minutes of waiting Naruto had not shown up. Kakashi materialized on top of one of the arches at exactly thirty minutes after nine and waved a cheery good morning.   
  
Sakura gave Kakashi her death glare as the gray haired Jounin dropped to the bridge walkway. "You're late Kakashi-sensei and on today of all days!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry. I had a meeting with the Hokage that ran late." Kakashi said. Sakura was about to call him a liar when she realized that this time his excuse might actually be genuine. So instead she turned her wrath on her absent teammate.   
  
"Ok so then where's Naruto?" She asked in frustration.  
  
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder then pointed a thumb back towards the main part of town. "Um...he's right there."  
  
And indeed he was. The blond genin was sauntering down the road towards the bridge as if he didn't have a care in the world. Sakura again came close to an outburst but then she noticed his new attire and color scheme. In place of his white hoody he was wearing a black jacket which he kept open in the front. Flames decorated the bottom and Sakura guessed there was probably a large red swirl on the back just like on the hoody. Naruto had also moved his head protector from around his waist its rightful spot around his forehead.  
  
"Good morning!" he yelled boisterously as he got to the bridge.   
  
"You're late Naruto" Sakura glared but then she lightened up and sighed. "But I guess it doesn't really mater. Kakashi-sensei just got here too."   
  
Naruto laughed and leaned against the opposite rail from Sasuke who was looking rather board with the whole scene. "Sorry, I took some extra time to get prepared this morning. Sensei told me to be ready for anything."  
  
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. Jiriaya was pretty useless sometimes but he occasionally had little gems of wisdom to offer. Apparently Naruto had gotten one this morning and had taken it to heart.  
  
The Jounin fished around in his pouch and produced three pieces of paper which he handed out to his students. "These are your application papers. Sign your name on the bottom and get them to room 301 at the academy by three."  
  
"Great. So we've got a couple hours to kill" Naruto said. "Who wants to go eat?"  
  
After a brunch of, you guessed it...ramen, Team Seven's genin began making their way to the academy. Naruto was all talk on the way there. He seemed almost to excited, there didn't seem to be a hint of nervousness in the fearless blond.   
  
Sasuke was excited too but unlike Naruto he didn't bother to show it. *Finally I get to test my skills against others ninja. This is going to be very...very good.* If he had bothered to smile it would have been quite the evil smile.  
  
Sakura was the least excited of the three. She knew her abilities and limitations better then anyone and she knew it was going to be a difficult road ahead for the team and her in particular. *I wish I was as confident as you Naruto* she thought as she smiled at one of the boy's comments. *You act like nothing can touch you. You truly are incredible.*  
  
The Academy hove into view and Sasuke led the little group through the gates and into the main complex. Naruto, never having been there, had quieted down and was trying to absorb as much about the place as he could, especially the teams of ninja that they began to pass on their way.  
  
The sounds of a large group of people attracted team seven to a corridor full of other genin. They arrived just in time to see a green clad boy go flying backwards. Two chuunin were standing in front of a door marked 301 as if guarding it. Sasuke quickly assessed the situation. The green boy had probably tried to get past the door guards and gotten knocked back by them. Why the two were there Sasuke had no idea. What he did know was that they were guarding the wrong door. He knew this school like the back of his hand and this was definitely not the third floor. *Genjutsu? But why?*  
  
Sakura spotted the same thing and glanced at Naruto to see if he had seen it too. Naruto was staring hard at the two chuunin. Suddenly his eyes lit up and Sakura could see that he had seen it too. He winked at Sakura who smiled and winked back.  
  
"Huh...pathetic." said one of the door guards. "You plan to take the chuunin exam with that?"  
  
The second one sneered at the assembly. "You should just give up now."  
  
The two seemed to almost be finishing each others sentences. The first one spoke again just as the second one stopped. "You're just little kids."  
  
A girl in a Chinese shirt, probably one of the green boy's teammates, stood and approached the chuunin guards. "Please let us through" she said. Naruto's lip curled up in disgust at her weak response. *Another wimpy girl. Man, don't they screen these girls before they let them become ninjas?*   
  
A punch later the girl was on the ground next to her green friend.  
  
"Listen, we're being kind" the first chuunin said. "The chuunin exam isn't easy."  
  
The second one continued where his friend let off. "A lot of the people who take this exam end up quitting being ninja. Some never recover...we've seen it happen many times before."  
  
"Chuunin is the rank of a military platoon captain. The failure of a mission, the death of a solider, all of those are a Chuunin's responsibility. Yet you kids presume to think..." The chuunin sniffed in contempt  
  
"We're just thinning out the ranks a bit. What's wrong with that?"   
  
Team seven glared collectively. *So, they're trying to weed out the weaklings are they?* Sasuke thought. *It's not a bad idea but still...*  
  
"I agree, but..." Sasuke said as team seven stepped forward. "You'll let us through. And while you're at it why don't you remove this crappy genjutsu created surrounding? We're going to the third floor."  
  
Whispers sprang up throughout the crowd. Almost no one knew what Sasuke was talking about.  
  
The two chuunin sneered a bit more. "So, you noticed?" one of them said.  
  
Sasuke spoke over his shoulder. "Sakura, you must have noticed it. Your analytical abilities and genjutsu knowledge are the most advanced of our group."  
  
Sakura smiled. It was a rare thing for Sasuke to complement her. "Of course," she answered. "I spotted it right away since this isn't the third floor, it's the second."  
  
Sasuke looked over his other shoulder at his other teammate. "Naruto?"   
  
Naruto smiled. "Do you even have to ask?"  
  
With that the surroundings changed. The sign above the door transformed from 301 to 201. A startled gasp arose from the collected crowd. Naruto rolled his mental eyes. *Are they all really that thick?* he wondered.  
  
The first chuunin sniffed and smiled cunningly. "Not bad, but all you did was see through it." He launched himself in a flying kick towards Sasuke. Sasuke did likewise. Neither of them connected however.  
  
With amazing speed the green clothed boy placed himself between the two and grabbed their legs in mid kick. A fourth person also interceded. Naruto had seen the green boy crouch in preparation, thinking he was going to join the fight Naruto acted as well. When everything was still again Naruto was standing behind the green boy with a kunai near his throat and another indirectly threatening the chuunin.   
  
Sakura stared wide eyed at the whole thing. *Amazing. He's really fast. He's completely different from the boy who was getting knocked around before. Was he faking the entire time?* She wondered.  
  
No one moved for a moment. The green boy, who looked rather freakish with his weird eyes, large eyebrows, and mushroom shaped bowl cut, was looking rather stunned as he felt the presence of the knife at his neck. Naruto finally stepped back and allowed the green boy to stand and release his hold on the other boys' legs.  
  
Sasuke was stunned for another reason. *Catching my kick...What is this? Chakra in his arms? Fast too.*  
  
Naruto slipped his kunai back into his holster and glared at the boy with the fuzzy eyebrows. *He's faster then me...but not by much* Naruto thought. *Still, being able to catch Sasuke and the other guy's kicks...he's very good.*  
  
The green clad boy was still a little shocked that someone had managed to catch him. He gave Naruto a little look but quickly looked away.  
  
"Hey, what happened to the plan?" asked another boy, obviously one of the green boy's teammates. He was almost as freaky as the green guy. He had pale white eyes and seemed to have the same demeanor as Sasuke. Cold and calculating. "You're the one who said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."  
  
"Well..." the green boy said as he looked at Sakura. Sasuke could tell he was preparing for something. The boy's teammates obviously knew what he was doing. The girl in the Chinese shirt covered her eyes and muttered. "Oh no..."  
  
The boy approached Sakura and introduced himself. "My name is Rock Lee, so yours is Sakura."   
  
Sakura was looking very confused. Lee winked and gave her a thumbs up. "Lets go out together! I'll protect you until I die."  
  
Sakura's expression went sour fast. "No..way...You're lame." she managed between shivers. Lee looked crestfallen. He hung his head in shame. Naruto smiled broadly at the saddened Lee. Sasuke muttered something about idiots but Naruto didn't catch it all.  
  
Lee's white eyed teammate spoke up. He approached Sasuke. "Hey you, what's your name?"  
  
"When you want to learn someone's name you should give yours first" Sasuke responded.   
  
Unperturbed the white eyed boy continued. "You're a rookie right? How old are you?"  
  
"I don't have to answer that" Sasuke said, still not caring.   
  
The white eyed boy's cool cracked a bit and he glared at Sasuke. "What?" He turned and looked at Naruto who was watching the conversation with interest. "What about you? What's you're name?"  
  
"Heh, who wants to know?" Naruto said mockingly. His response seemed to anger the boy even further.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, Naruto, lets go." Sakura said. Sasuke rejoined his team and together they walked off to find a route to the third floor leaving Lee and his team behind. The girl in the Chinese shirt smiled as team seven disappeared. *Those two are cute* she thought. She noticed that her teammate was still staring too. "Do they interest you Neji?" She asked. Neji didn't answer but instead began to walk away. That was enough of an answer for her.  
  
Behind partly closed doors the two chuunin watched the small confrontation as it unfolded. "So those are Kakashi and Gai's prize pupils." One of them said. "I guess they passed the preliminary." The other nodded. "Yeah." With a puff of smoke the two chuunin transformed into much taller men in examiners uniforms. "Looks like this year's exam is going to be fun, especially for us examiners."   
  
Sasuke smiled slightly as he thought about what had just happened. *Man, there's a bunch of weirdos and freaks here. Should be interesting.* Naruto was busy thinking the same thing.  
  
  
  
Team seven was passing through a large entryway room when a voice called out from behind them. "You two, the dark eyed one and the blond, hold on."  
  
The three turned to see Rock Lee standing on a landing above them. Naruto smiled, Sakura looked disgusted, and Sasuke looked a little peeved.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Would you fight me here, right now?"   
  
"A fight here? Right now?" Sasuke asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Naruto's grin grew. He took a step forward and held up his hand as if the offer was menial and under his notice. "Ha. Why should we fight you Eyebrows?"  
  
Lee jumped over the railing and landed on the floor. He stood and pointed to himself. "My name is Rock Lee not Eyebrows." He pointed at Sasuke. "When you want to learn someone's name you introduce yourself first right?...Uchiha Sasuke-kun.  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened. "So, you knew who I was." he said casually.  
  
Lee nodded and looked at Naruto. "I have introduced myself. Who are you?"  
  
Naruto mimicked Lee and pointed to himself with his thumb. "Uzumaki Naruto" he said proudly.  
  
Lee took up a fighting stance. "I would like to fight you. I want to see how far my moves will go against the progeny of the genius ninja clan. I would also like to find out more about you Naruto-kun. You are the first that has been able to catch me. I do not take that lightly." His gaze shifted to Sakura. "Also..."  
  
The weird boy's gaze sent shivers down her spine. She could see he was blushing.   
  
"Sakura-san...love."   
  
Sakura went ballistic. "Nooo! I hate those eyebrows, those eye lashes, that ugly bowl cut. You're to weird!"  
  
Lee, apparently unaffected by her outburst, continued. "You are an angel." He winked and blew a kiss at her. Sakura screamed and dodged it. Lee seemed impressed. "Very well, try this." He shot kiss after kiss and wink after wink at her but Sakura dodged every one. Finally, when the last one had passed her by she turned on Lee and yelled at him. "Argh. Don't throw those things at me. I almost didn't make it."  
  
Lee sagged and looked depressed. "They aren't that bad."   
  
Naruto by this time was barely able to contain himself. The display was just too much for him. He wanted to laugh, to roll around on the ground and laugh so hard that he cried, but he brought it under control and thought of something else.  
  
Sasuke seemed impressed that Lee was challenging him. "You still challenge me even though you know who I am? Do you know what I am capable of?" *You're either an ignorant fool or a very brave fool* Sasuke thought.  
  
Lee just smiled.  
  
Before Sasuke could answer the challenge Naruto took another step forward and answered his. "I'll fight you Eyebrows." Lee nodded and turned his attention to Naruto. "Very well. I will fight with Sasuke-kun when I am finished with you."  
  
Sakura had the sense to look at the clock and noticed that they only had about twenty minutes to get to room 301. "Naruto, I don't think you should...." Naruto waved off the rest of her sentence. "I'll only take five minutes."  
  
The two fighters squared off and the fight commenced. Naruto charged Lee with the intent of delivering a simple punch to test the other boy's skill. With a quick step forward Lee blocked and turned Naruto's punch aside.   
  
*Ok, so he's fast* Naruto thought as he landed on his hand and flipped upright on the far side of Lee. *He's probably faster then me by a bit. No problem though.* Naruto attacked again, this time at his best speed.   
  
Sasuke was following the battle very closely. He had seen Lee's speed before and was impressed by it. He was a bit faster then Naruto or himself but it wasn't the speed that had impressed him, it was Lee's catching of his kick that got Sasuke's attention. Wanting to know how he'd done it Sasuke was watching using his Sharingan. It was good practice anyway.  
  
Lee saw his opponent's speed increase and smiled inwardly. This was what he was interested in. He blocked the kick aimed at his legs and countered with a whirlwind kick of his own. Naruto managed to avoid most of it but did catch enough of it force him away again. This time however he didn't wait to jump back in. He knew what needed to be done.  
  
Several seconds later Lee delivered a stunning elbow strike to Naruto's midriff. Instead of Naruto going down though a dented trash can spilled it's contents all over the floor. Lee's eyes widened in shock. A surge of chakra behind him drew his attention. Naruto was charging him from the rear. *Looks like I might have to break a promise Gai-Sensei* he thought.  
  
The blond swung but Lee vanished before the punch could get him only to reappear below Naruto, giving him a kick that sent him skyward. Lee vanished again and reappeared as Naruto's shadow as he sailed through the air. Naruto was stunned. "Is this the Shadow Dance?" he asked in amazement. Lee flexed his hand and the bindings around his hands came loose.   
  
"I win" Lee declared triumphantly.  
  
Before Lee could finish what he was doing however Naruto made his move.  
  
"Not."  
  
With a puff of smoke Naruto disappeared. The smoke screen blinded Lee and prevented him from seeing what was coming.  
  
Sasuke and Sakura had seen Naruto's move. When Lee had destroyed the trash can Naruto had appeared behind him. The blond had quickly created a shadow clone and sent him towards Lee while the real Naruto jumped skyward. He had bounced off of the roof and came screaming back down at high speed towards the now airborne clone and the shadowing Lee.  
  
Lee never saw Naruto coming being as the clone was blocking his view of the roof. When the clone vanished it left an open avenue to the green boy. The blond genin delivered a beautiful punch to Lee's chest that sent the taijutsu user crashing to the ground where he bounced once then rolled away to avoid a follow up strike. It was good he did since Naruto would have landed on him and given him a second helping but instead Naruto landed on one knee.  
  
Lee stood quickly. He looked like he was hurting but didn't appear that he was seriously harmed in any way.   
  
Naruto stood as well and gave Lee a foxy smile. "Weren't expecting that were you Eyebrows?"  
  
Lee made as if to charge Naruto but a pinwheel shot out of no where and pinned the boy's loosened arm wrappings to the floor. Everyone turned in shock to see a large tortoise. Team seven watched in awe and confusion as Lee addressed the tortoise and proceeded to explain himself to it. The appearance of Gai and Lee's strange and disturbing conversation with him only added to the weirdness factor in the room.   
  
Finally Gai took notice of team seven. *These are Kakashi's students.* He looked them over quickly. The pink haired one was of no consequence. The raven haired one Gai knew very well. Gai was surprised that Lee had not chosen to fight him instead of the blond boy. Gai would have thought the result would have been the same either way but Lee had been knocked down by this mystery boy in a very surprising turn of events.  
  
"You. What is your name?" He asked, pointing to Naruto. Naruto didn't like the super eyebrows guy any more then the younger version. The whole set up just weirded him out.   
  
"Um, Uzumaki Naruto."  
  
Gai suddenly realized who the boy was. He had heard that Kakashi was getting a new student so he could finally fill out his team.   
  
In a surprise meeting of Jounin the Hokage had explained the story behind the boy. Needless to say it had surprised Gai to find out that the boy had actually returned. Still he had not seen him before so he could be forgiven for not knowing what Naruto looked like.  
  
"That was an impressive move. You are skilled in taijutsu." Gai said. He gave Naruto a wink and a glittering smile.  
  
Naruto looked even more disturbed. "Uh...thanks."   
  
"You all should be getting to the class room now." Gai announced. "Good luck Lee!" Gai and the tortoise disappeared in clouds of smoke leaving the four genin alone again.   
  
Lee turned to Naruto as he finished wrapping up his hands. "Naruto-kun. I look forward to finishing this fight with you. I also look forward to fighting with you Sasuke-kun. But my main purpose in this exam is to defeat my rival, the strongest genin in Konoha. You are also my targets. Prepare yourselves!" With that Lee somersaulted back up onto the landing and disappeared.   
  
Naruto quickly regained his smile once the weirdos were gone. "This is going to be interesting." he said.   
  
Sasuke smiled in anticipation. He agreed totally. "Sakura, Naruto, lets go."  
  
Sakura looked at her two teammates in wonder. *You two are amazing.*  
  
Together the three marched off, destination...room 301.   
  
Sorry about that. It's alot like the regualar storyline. I didn't see many places i could change things around. Don't worry. I know lots of things to change in the upcoming chapters. I'll update in a day or two. 


	10. Rivals and Mind Games

Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter finished. Ah the wonders of school life. From now on i'll probably be putting out a chapter a week, maybe two. School has come up to choke off more of my time. I don't own Naruto as you all know...i wish i could stop saying that.  
  
The double doors of room 301 swung wide to admit Team Seven. The room before them was packed full of ninja from what seemed to be every nation in the area.   
  
Naruto couldn't help but voice his opinion. "Wow."  
  
Sakura was amazed at the numbers of ninja assembled in the room, most of which were looking at the new arrivals. "There's so many. Are they all here for the exam?" Sakura swallowed hard. "They all seem so strong."  
  
"Sasuke-kun! You're late!" Someone jumped on him from behind. Naruto and Sakura turned to see a long haired blond girl hanging on to Sasuke's neck like a leach. Naruto sweat dropped. *Who the hell is this girl? Does every girl in Konoha like Sasuke?*  
  
Sakura was furious. She knew who the girl was.   
  
The blond girl continued. "I've been waiting eagerly for you ever since I heard I would be getting to see you after such a long time." Sasuke looked like he wanted to be sick but only glared over his shoulder at the girl.   
  
"Get off of Sasuke Ino-pig!" Sakura was pointing a finger at the girl attached to her teammates back. Naruto looked between the two of them. *Huh. Rivals? Oh dear lord. Another reason to hate girls.*  
  
The girl, Ino was apparently her name, dropped off of Sasuke's back but didn't leave contact with him. "Oh its Sakura. Your forehead is as big and ugly as usual I see."   
  
Sakura clenched her fists and practically burned with envy and hate. "What did you say?!"  
  
Ino stuck her tongue out and made a face. Then she noticed the other member of team seven. "Oh. Sasuke-kun, who's this?" She asked as she looked at Naruto. Sasuke brushed her hand off his shoulders and tilted his head towards his teammate. "That's Naruto."  
  
Naruto was sure he didn't like the girl but when Sasuke said his name Ino responded in a way the made Naruto think a bit differently. Ino smiled and bowed slightly to him. "Hi. I'm Yamanka Ino."  
  
Naruto forced a smile on to his face and nodded back. "Uzumaki Naruto."  
  
*Ok, so she's a nice girl when Sasuke or Sakura aren't involved* Naruto thought. *But she's still a girl.*  
  
Soon five other genin joined them. Sakura introduced them all to Naruto who smiled, nodded, or glared at them in turn. He had met Kiba's team before but had only talked to Kiba himself. The Hyuuga girl was still shy and quiet like she had been on the road and the tall dark boy with glasses, introduced as Shino, seemed an awful lot like Sasuke when he wasn't in a good mood. Ino's team seemed even worse off. The black haired boy known as Shikamaru looked like he'd rather be sleeping then anywhere near the exam. *He doesn't look like a very reliable guy* Naruto thought. The last of the new genin was a large boy named Chouji who looked like his favorite past time was eating. *Heh, pitiful. How did they guys get into this exam?* Naruto wondered.  
  
"So, how far do you think you can get Sasuke-kun?" Kiba asked.  
  
Sasuke gave him a tight smile. "You seem pretty confident Kiba."  
  
Kiba looked proud of himself. "We trained like hell, we won't loose to you guys, especially with that idiot on your team." He pointed to Naruto who just smiled back.  
  
"I still owe you for the other day dog brain. I'm sure I can find a wok quickly if you want to fight."  
  
Kiba and his dog growled but didn't answer. Hinata answered from behind the wild looking genin. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun didn't mean to say that."  
  
Naruto raised an eyebrow. *Is she defending me or her teammate? Geez what a weird girl.* Hinata blushed and looked away.  
  
Another voice called out to the group. They all turned at see an older boy with silver hair approaching them. "Hey you guys. You should quiet down a little." The boy stopped and looked them over. "So you're the rookies that just graduated huh? You need to stop fooling around and making a scene. This isn't a field trip you know."  
  
Ino looked mad. "Who the hell are you to tell us what to do?"  
  
The silver haired boy smiled. "My name is Yakushi Kabuto. Take a look around."  
  
Naruto had already noticed the stares they were getting from the other ninja in the room. Kabuto didn't have to tell him that they were being watched. "The ones behind you are from the Hidden Rain. They have short tempers. Everyone here is tense. Its better not to cause a scene."  
  
Kabuto smiled. "But I guess it can't be helped. You're all rookies so you don't know any better."  
  
Sakura gave him a knowing glare. "Kabuto-san? Is this your second time then?"  
  
Kabuto shook his head. "No, its my seventh, my fourth year in other words."  
  
Everyone looked rather shocked at his statement. "Then you must know all about it" Sakura said.  
  
"But he hasn't passed it yet"Shikamaru said in disgust. "This exam looks like its going to be a lot harder then I thought. How troublesome."  
  
Kabuto looked a little embarrassed but quickly recovered. He rummaged around in his pack. "I should probably tell you a bit about the exam." He pulled out a stack of small cards which he proceeded to explain were info cards. Naruto saw that there was a long speech coming and tuned it out, choosing to investigate the room instead.   
  
Naruto counted about a hundred and fifty genin in the room. *Damn that's a lot of people.* he thought. Several teams attracted his attention. The first was a group near the middle who appeared to be from the Hidden Sand. Each of the three team members seemed to have something attached to their backs. The smallest boy had a large gourd, the second boy had a strangely wrapped...something, and the sole girl had what appeared to be a large war fan. The second group was the three person Hidden Sound contingent, all of which seemed to be keenly interested in the conversation happening next to Naruto. He noted their position in the room then moved on. The third and final group appeared to be Kabuto's teammates. They wore the same uniforms as Kabuto and looked about the same age but their demeanor seemed different. Maybe they were just excited.   
  
Naruto heard his name mentioned and turned back to the conversation. Kabuto was looking at him. "Naruto-kun is it?" he asked.  
  
The blond nodded. Kabuto seemed a little confused. "I've never seen you before. I thought I had information on all of the teams participating but I don't have a card of you."  
  
Sakura saved him from an explanation. "He's new to the village. He was born here but left when he was young. He just returned to Konoha last week. That's probably why you don't have a card on him Kabuto-san."  
  
The older ninja scratched his head. "I guess that makes sense. I'll have to make one for you later."  
  
Naruto, Sasuke, and Kabuto quickly noticed something was amiss. The tension in the room had increased suddenly. Then Naruto saw it. The sound nin were gone. *Where'd they go? No, this isn't good.* Naruto thought as he eyed the room carefully. A flash in the crowd alerted Naruto to their movement. Kabuto saw it too. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances.  
  
A body launched itself off of one of the desks. The spiky haired sound ninja produced two kunai and threw them at Kabuto. A third kunai, this one launched from Sasuke's hand, speared the two sound blades and brought them up short. They wouldn't have hit anyway, Kabuto had already slid backwards to avoid the attack. Doing that put him in the perfect position for another attack by the sound's teammate.   
  
Another sound appeared right in front of Kabuto's face and swung an arm in a haymaker type punch. Kabuto just dodged it. A second later the older boy's glasses shattered.   
  
Sakura blinked. *But he dodged it. It never even touched him.*   
  
Kabuto removed his glasses and smiled. The smile didn't last long however. He pitched forward and threw up. The other genin watched in horror as the silver haired boy retched.   
  
The bandaged genin who had delivered the attack smiled beneath his wrappings. Then he noticed his other two teammates weren't standing next to him. He turned to see Sasuke holding a knife to the other sound boy's throat. His female teammate was pinned against a desk by four identical blond ninja. Then he felt a kunai prick his belly. Sakura was braced to take him down. She glared murder at him. "What did you do to Kabuto-san?" she asked in a low grating tone.  
  
The sound ninja would have answered if he had had time but before he could a huge explosion of smoke erupted in the front of the room and a deep voice spoke up. "Settle down you punks!"  
  
Every head turned to see the new arrivals. Team Seven backed off as the smoke cleared. They didn't want to get in trouble for fighting.  
  
The smoke cleared to reveal a number of examiners and one large man in a long black coat. He had a tough looking face that was lined with scars. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the examiner for the first test of the Chuunin Exams, Morino Ibiki." The huge man pointed a finger towards the back. "You three, from the Hidden Sound! Don't think you can get away with fighting before the exam. You three as well." He pointed at Team Seven. "Do you want to be failed right now?"  
  
The bandaged sound ninja turned and apologized. Sakura apologized for her team as well.  
  
The scarred man smiled when they were done. "I suppose this is a good a time as any to say this. You are not allowed to fight another unless you are given permission from an examiner. You are not allowed to kill another, even if an examiner does give you permission to fight. You will be failed immediately if you do, understand?"  
  
He got silence in return. "Very well. We will now begin the first exam of the Chuunin Selection Exam."  
  
An hour later Team Seven walked out of the Academy building totally drained emotionally. They had passed the test, but only just barely. It had become quite obvious early on that there was no way someone could pass the test without cheating. Sasuke had hit the mark with his Sharingan early. Sakura was naturally smart enough to get through most of the questions without cheating. Naruto on the other hand, was not that smart.   
  
He had figured out the trick behind the exam like everyone else. The only problem was that he knew almost no techniques for spying. Jiriaya had been a great resource for learning stealth and spy techniques but Naruto had ignored them for one good reason. He didn't want to become a pervert like his sensei. To that end he avoided all techniques and practices that might be used for perverted actions. Sure he could move silently and stay hidden, those were basic ninja traits, and he had developed his "special" technique to deal with perverts, but beyond that he knew nothing. This left him in a hole as far as the exam was concerned. He had sweated it out in the hopes of being able to answer the last question. He had even refused help from the Hyuuga girl when she saw that he had nothing on his paper. He had to save his pride after all. If he was going to cheat it was going to be off of a guy's paper, not a girl's, and especially not off of a person who was giving the answers willingly.  
  
So Naruto had spent his time observing the other actions and techniques of his fellow test takers. He hadn't seen much, those sorts of techniques weren't meant to be seen, but what he had seen had impressed him. He had no idea how Sasuke had cheated, he had been placed several seats back from the blond, but he was sure he would find out at some point.  
  
The teams were slowly whittled away until only about half were left.   
  
The tenth question, when it came, was a complete surprise to those remaining. The choice to take it was the first surprise. This choice further decreased the number of teams to 26. Naruto had refused the let the examiner's words scare him. He simply spoke up while he twiddled his pencil in nervous anticipation. Everything was riding on the idea that he could answer the final question. "Hurry up and give us the problem old man. I'm here to take the test and I'm not about to leave. You can't scare me away with your threats. I won't back down. That's my way of the ninja!"  
  
Ibiki had smiled slightly. *This guy is interesting. He's fearless. He managed to erase everyone's doubts. Well then, I guess its time.* he thought.  
  
"Everyone remaining here...passes!"  
  
Shouts and outbursts had rung from around the room, most vocally from Naruto, Sakura, and the Sand female with the big fan. Ibiki answered all their questions, explaining exactly how the test had worked and explaining its relevance in real world applications. After everything was explained and he had wished them luck the second examiner arrived, exploding through one of the room windows for a big flashy entrance. No one, however, was very impressed. They had survived the first test.   
  
Notes: Letting you know that Naruto doesn't know about the sharingan yet, at least not about sasuke's. Also, i will be changing a good number of the fights in the tower fights. I'll be keeping a few, the ones that you just can't change, but many will be different. The finals will have less changes but there will still be some differences. 


	11. The Deadly Game Begins

Again i'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get another chapter up but like i said before i'll be putting out about one a week from now on. School demands too much of my time. Yet again i'm forced to say it, i don't own Naruto...end of statement.  
  
Jiriaya took Naruto out for food when the boy returned exhausted after the first day's test. Naruto and the other two members of Team Seven had met with Kakashi directly after the test to discuss it and find out about the location and time for the second test. After a fairly brief meeting the team broke up and headed home, they agreed to meet at the test location at one.  
  
The old Sennin had intercepted his student and directed him to his favorite ramen stand where the boy packed the noodles away by the bowl. Naruto related the day's happenings to his sensei and then told him about the location of the second test and who the examiner would be.  
  
When Jiriaya heard that Mitarashi Anko was the second examiner his face darkened. He had known the woman well, as she had once been Orochimaru's protege. The feisty purple haired girl had followed Orochimaru around like a love struck puppy, until the day she had discovered Orochimaru's true character that is. She had tried to stop him, to convince him to change, but had been "rewarded" with a cursed seal as a going away present from snake Sennin.   
  
*I know she tried to bring that fool around. She went through a lot and I do feel sorry for her but I just can't shake the fact that she was the baka's pupil.* Jiriaya scowled at his ramen bowl. *One thing's for sure,* the old hermit thought, *Naruto's going to have to be on his toes around her. She always loved putting the fear of the kami in anyone younger then herself, just like Orochimaru.*   
  
Jiriaya noticed his own pupil was staring at him and quickly put his thoughts aside and smiled. Naruto had finished his tenth bowl and would have gone on to another but the strange expression on his sensei's face and the fact that the man's ramen had gone untouched for several minutes had disturbed the boy.   
  
"Well then we should be getting home. You'll need all the rest you can get before the next test. I think I know what the examiner is planning."  
  
Naruto's eyes lit up at the thought of having an advantage coming into the test. "Well, what do you think it is sensei?"  
  
The white haired Sennin fingered his chopsticks, clicking them together as he thought. "The 44th training area is one of the most dangerous training areas Konoha has" Jiriaya explained. "People call it the forest of death. It's a huge place, 20 kilometers across if I remember correctly. Big trees, river or two, and a central tower. It's most often used as a survival training ground."  
  
"Huh, survival?" Naruto looked incredulous. "If that's it then we'll have no problem."  
  
Jiriaya shook his head. "It won't be just survival though. You'll probably have to fight other teams along with the forest itself. Anko isn't someone to screw around with. She'll make the test extra hard I'm sure."  
  
Naruto nodded, his former attitude washed away by Jiriaya's assessment of the test and the examiner in charge. Naruto had learned to trust his sensei's views of people and how they operated because he was usually right.  
  
The two men, student and teacher, left and returned to their small apartment. They pulled out all the survival gear they had and began sorting out what Naruto would need. Extra weapons were of prime importance as well as ration bars and food pills. Naruto decided he would need an extra back pouch to handle all the extra stuff. He also put together two more pouches for Sasuke and Sakura. He was going to make sure his team was prepared.   
  
The next day the team met outside the main gate of training area 44 at one o'clock. There were only a few teams there so the three sat down to discuss the next test.   
  
"Ero-sennin said that this is probably going to be a survival test" Naruto said as he passed his teammates the pouches he had prepared the night before. Sakura was impressed the Naruto would have thought of such a thing. Sasuke took a look through his new pouch and saw that it was actually better stocked then his own. *He thought of everything* he thought as he pulled out a hand held water purifier and examined it. Only Anbu carried them to his knowledge.  
  
"So if we assume it's a survival test then how will the other teams figure in?" Sasuke asked.   
  
Sakura tapped her head with a finger. "Well Anko-sensei said she would cut our numbers in half or worse so that probably means that teams won't just loose because of a couple days in the forest. There will be enemies, either the other teams or the instructors."  
  
Sasuke nodded. "We should make a plan for either case then. If it's teams verses instructors then it would be wise to join up with another team for protection. Even though it would make moving difficult it's advantages outweigh the disadvantages. But if it's team verses team then it gets more interesting. If that's the case then they'll need some way of showing that a team was beaten by another team. Markers of some sort I'm guessing."  
  
Naruto agreed but didn't know where to go from there. "Ok, so what's the plan if it is team verses team? Do we go looking for a fight? Do we ambush another team? What?"  
  
The three fell silent for a moment or two as they each thought about the problem. It was a difficult choice. They had seen very little of their opponent's abilities, they had seen the sound ninja in action and Lee but that was about it, so ambush didn't seem like a great option because of the possibilities of it turning against them. The same went for a straight on attack. They all looked up at each other. They had all come to the same conclusion.   
  
"It looks like the only good option is to watch and wait" Sakura said. The two boys nodded assent.  
  
Sasuke didn't like it, he preferred a straight fight, but he would take any advantage he could and right now watching his enemy was probably the best. Naruto too did not like the conclusion he had come up with but if it meant getting beaten up less and still winning he'd go with that any day.   
  
"Ok, so how do we do that?" Naruto asked. "There's a lot of ground to cover in there."  
  
"We're not splitting up." Sakura said firmly. "It's a good way to scout but it'll get us killed easier. Better to keep the team together."  
  
Further discussion was halted when a very large group of other teams arrived along with the examiner and her team. Team Seven joined the growing group and observed the teams around them.  
  
Anko looked at the assembled teams with a critical eye. None of them looked very prepared for what she was about to put them through. *As it should be* she thought. Then she caught sight of Team Seven. She had gotten the brief just like every other Jounin and examiner about the "special" Team Seven. She studied the group carefully. The girl didn't seem all that great, it was the two boys that really drew her attention.   
  
The Uchiha she knew by reputation as an up and coming genius. He was smart and well versed in all types of jutsu. He had also recently activated his bloodline's signature trait and had, at least in the reports from Kakashi, made great strides in learning to use the sharingan.  
  
The second boy, the blond one, was even more interesting to her however. She knew the boy's mentor well. She had never liked the old pervert but she did admit he was a damn good ninja when he put his mind to it and any student he trained seemed to turn out the same. *Just like his father then* she mused. The presence of the nine tails inside the boy only made him a more interesting one to watch. It wasn't every day that you had a Sennin trained son of a hokage who also bore a monster inside of him as a student.  
  
The presence of a second back pouch on each of that team's members alerted Anko to the fact that not everyone here was as unprepared as she had thought. *So the boy must have told Jiriaya who was in charge of the next exam.* An evil smile slipped across her lips. *This will be very interesting to watch.*  
  
Anko called everyone's attention to her and began explaining the second exam for them. Team Seven's grins were the only ones to be seen as the instructor continued describing each team's mission and the rules for winning. They had been on the right track. The purple haired instructor handed out release forms for everyone to sign and a short time later they were being traded for scrolls at the small booth near the fence.  
  
Sasuke pocketed the scroll for Team Seven, they had gotten a scroll of heaven, and together they followed an examiner to their assigned gate. They passed several of the other leaf genin teams. Lee and his team eyed them as they passed and Kiba glared daggers at Naruto.   
  
Once they had gotten to their gate the team spent some of their remaining minutes in whispered conversation. They finalized their plan of action and discussed who they might go after. When the examiner unlocked the lock and chain around their gate they broke up and moved closer to the fence line.   
  
The examiner watched them as they prepped for the opening of the gate. They looked like they were going to make a quick start by the way they had set themselves in formation. Muscles were tense and ready to run. *Such fools* the examiner thought, *ready to waste all of their energy on the opening dash.* His watch clicked over to 2:30 and the doors shot open.   
  
All around the gated forest similar doors opened and ninja rushed in, all intent on finding their first opponents.   
  
Team Seven looked no different. As their gate opened they bolted forward into the forest. But instead of continuing on they stopped, only fifty yards or so from the gate entrance. The examiner watched closely as the blond boy created shadow clones which then transformed into exact replicas of his teammates and himself. The three clones continued running forward into the woods. The real team however jumped upwards and latched themselves onto the side of a tree. A smile crept over the examiner's face as he saw what they were planning. *Make your opponent's think you've continued ahead and confuse them while you're really just waiting for the appropriate time. You're smarter then I thought.*  
  
As he watched the team scaled the huge tree and slipped inside a natural little cave in the tree trunk. Seconds later a camouflaged cover had been placed over the entrance, sealing it completely from view. If he hadn't seen where they had gone he would probably never have found them again. *I think we can expect a lot from these genin* he thought as he re-bolted the gate and walked off, his task complete.  
  
Inside the hidden cave Team Seven got as comfortable as possible. They had spotted the perfect place to hide just a few minutes after arriving at the gate. Deciding on it as their waiting spot first allowed them to build their plan around it. They would wait a day or so before actually heading out. By that time the ranks would have thinned and those remaining would have grown tired. Team Seven could move through quickly and pick up a scroll at their leisure. They would be fully rested and would have the advantage of surprise. Naruto's offer to send a clone Team Seven ahead while they rested up only made the idea more full proof.   
  
Naruto had perfected his shadow clone technique to the point where they were independent extensions of himself, able to last for up to several hours if they stayed low or up to an hour moving at high speed or in combat. Once they had transformed they were none of Naruto's concern anymore. He could deactivate them if he wanted to but they retained enough smarts to do it on their own if Naruto didn't. They were as perfect as shadow clones got.  
  
Sakura took the first watch, listening and stretching her senses carefully to detect any intruders before they got near from behind the protection of the blind. Each of them had erased their presences so as not to give away their hiding place. A blind didn't do a very good job if an enemy could sense you hiding, even if they couldn't see you.   
  
So Team Seven rested, content to let the other teams duke it out without them. They would have their chance.  
  
A little short but fun all the same. Thanks to all the reviewers, i've gotten some cool ideas from your posts and actually intend on using one or two here in the future. As of yet i have no idea what pairs will be, if any, so just keep guessing and speculating ; ) 


	12. Death Awaits

Sorry for the long delay and the short chapter here. This last week was hell becasue of mid terms. I know you were probably all wondering where I was. I figured I'd get something in to sate your appitites. I will have a longer chapter for you hopefully by the end of the week. You know the line by now, i don't own it.  
  
Anko accompanied the obviously disturbed examiner to a small field near Konoha. Two other examiners were there already, along with three bodies. The lead chuunin examiner spoke as Anko stopped over the bodies. "From their possessions and ID's we've found that they were ninja from the Hidden Village of Grass here to take the Chuunin exam. But as you can see..."  
  
Anko's face twitched. The scene spread out before her was gruesome enough to make even her flinch in revulsion. "Their faces are gone." she said almost causually.  
  
The examiner who had spoken before nodded. "Yes. Their faces are gone as if they were melted off."  
  
Almost out of habit Anko's hand came up and touched a spot on the left side of her neck. 'No doubt about it,' she thought. 'This technique is...his. But why is he at the exam?'  
  
She glanced at the identifications one of the examiners handed to her. One of the faces jumped out at her. 'He must have taken this one's face,' she thought. She had gotten a weird feeling when she'd been looking over the assembled genin before the second exam started. There were several people that seemed to radiate a killer intent in the group but Anko hadn't paid much attention. This was going to be a test where people died so she passed it off as excitement. But one had seemed more intent then the others. 'Yes, this face for sure.'  
  
She turned abruptly to the three other examiners. "This is serious. You three let Hokage-sama know about this right away. And request that he mobilize at least two ANBU squads and send them to the Forest at once! I will go after these guys now. Got that?"   
  
The three chuunin acknowledged her orders and disappeared leaving Anko alone with the bodies.  
  
After a few more moments of thought her face hardened. "Damn it!"  
  
A second later only the three bodies remained in the field.

Sasuke pulled the cover away from the tree cave's opening and stuck his head out. He scanned the area quickly then ducked back inside. Sakura and Naruto were crouched behind him, ready to leave.   
  
Team Seven had spent the night in their little cave and passed most of that morning there as well. The sounds of battle had kept them alert for most of the first day but as evening had come the sounds had faded off into the distance. Sleep had come easily after that. The team had woken late and spent the next hour or so preparing to leave. They checked weapons and equipment again and finalized their plans.   
  
Sasuke turned back to his teammates and nodded. The area was clear. As one they darted out of the cave and shot up the tree trunk till they reached the first big branch. After a moments thought Sakura pointed out a direction. The two boys nodded and they took off again, flying through the upper branches on a course slightly to the right of a direct line to the tower.  
  
The signs of recent battle was everywhere. Discarded shuriken, kunai, and senbon were everywhere. Burn marks on trees, ripped bark, and torn ground were common, as were blood marks. Team Seven moved quickly through the forest, making five kilometers in less then an hour. The fact that no one appeared anywhere near their path was slightly alarming but they guessed that by now most teams had moved fairly deep into the woods and were concentrated around the tower.   
  
When they had gone six kilometers by Sasuke's count they finally detected a presence ahead of them. A hand signal from Sasuke brought the team to a halt. Before the group could even jump to a branch to converse the person ahead of them had jetted towards them at incredible speed. The opponent appeared as a brown and gray dust trailing streak on the ground below. Just as quickly the person scaled a tree and stopped about a hundred feet ahead of a startled Team Seven.   
  
'He's fast and alert. It was almost like he was waiting for us,' Sasuke thought as he eyed their potential opponent. The man, or woman, he couldn't quite tell, was dressed in a strange brown and black outfit with a purple rope tied around the waist.   
  
Naruto produced two kunai and brandished them at their opponent. "He's only one, lets get him," Naruto called to Sasuke and Sakura. His voice was full of confidence. 'And why shouldn't it be? There is only one. But that could be a trap,' Sakura thought.   
  
"Watch out, there may be others," Sakura stated as she too drew a kunai.  
  
Their opponent laughed. It was an evil laugh, totally devoid of humor or mirth. It had an edge to it that Team Seven had never heard before.   
  
"You want our scroll of earth, don't you?" Their opponent said as he produced a scroll. Definitely a man, Sasuke thought. Sakura gasped at his bluntness and willingness to show his scroll to them. Naruto huffed loudly and Sasuke gave a tight smile.  
  
The man continued. "Since you three have the scroll of heaven."  
  
A long serpentine like tongue slithered out of the man's mouth and wrapped itself around his scroll, which he proceeded to push into his mouth.   
  
The team's bravado began to slip as they saw it happen. Sakura grimaced at the sight. Naruto and Sasuke both glared and tightened their jaws. Once their opponent had managed to swallow the scroll he spoke again. "Now, let's begin the fight over our scrolls...by putting our lives on the line!"  
  
All three of them suddenly felt a presence invade their minds. It overwhelmed their mind's defenses and delivered a stunning mental blow. Images of their blood being splattered across trees, images of their cloths being ripped to bits by unseen blows, images of their bodies engulfed in flames, and of kunai striking them between the eyes, blasted through their brains in a second. Then suddenly the presence was gone, leaving them stunned and helpless, totally immobilized. Their bodies refused to function. Legs gave way and Team Seven dropped to their knees and hands. Sakura began to cry, Naruto twitched and shuddered horribly, and Sasuke lost his breakfast.  
  
Sasuke was the first to recover enough for coherent thought. He dropped to his rear and took a few shuddering breaths. 'Genjutsu? No... it was just an intent to kill! Incredible!' He glanced at their opponent again. 'Who is this guy?' He wondered.   
  
His head jerked around to look at Sakura who was on another branch. She was on her knees, tears were running rampant down her cheeks while her wide eyes stared off into oblivion. Shit, this isn't good, Sasuke thought as he turned to look at Naruto.  
  
Naruto had stopped twitching and was apparently out cold. Sasuke couldn't see his face but his body language told him all he needed. 'We need to run...if we don't...,' his eyes flicked back to their opponent's face, 'only death awaits us!' 

"Sigh" thoughts will now have only one quote mark around them since my former method apparently doesn't work anymore.


	13. Death Awaits Part 2

Ok, so here's the second half, the longer half at that, of "Death Awaits". Sorry it took so long. Hope my writing didn't suffer. I did this entire thing in a few hours. Let me know if you think it's subparr. ; ) And you know the rest of the talk by now.  
  
Sasuke was consumed by the thought of death. It had been an unthinkable happening to the genius Uchiha. He had to defeat his traitorous brother first. He couldn't die till then. But the images he had seen, the images of death that emanated from their opponent were too much. Such intent to kill, such austerity of death, was too much for the raven haired boy to bear. His mind was not on a fight anymore but on living at any cost. That thought drove him to do the unthinkable.   
  
With painful slowness Sasuke's hand dipped into his pouch and grasped Team Seven's scroll of heaven. A small part of his brain was screaming at him not to do it but imminent death tends to silence all thoughts that might prevent the body from getting out of the situation. So with a shaking hand Sasuke produced the scroll and held it out towards their opponent.   
  
"Here, you can have the scroll. Please, take it and leave us alone." Shame ripped through Sasuke's conscience but again the thought of life pushed it aside. Anything to get them out of there.  
  
Their opponent smiled and took a step forward.  
  
A kunai imbedded itself in the trunk a few inches away from the enemies foot. Sasuke gasped. Was his plan going down the drain that fast? His head whipped around to find the source of the kunai.  
  
Naruto was up again. His breathing was labored and his face looked pale but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. He glared at Sasuke accusingly as if he had just betrayed Naruto personally. "Damn you Sasuke. What do you think you're doing?" Naruto asked. Sasuke could feel the heat of his gaze on him.  
  
"You're going to give this freak our scroll because you're a little scared?" Naruto asked. "You're more pathetic then I thought Sasuke."  
  
Naruto had overstepped his bounds as far as Sasuke was concerned. The Uchiha glared death at his teammate. 'What the hell? How dare you!' Sasuke thought. "You shut up Naruto!"  
  
Further bickering was forestalled when their opponent laughed. "You're smarter then I thought Sasuke-kun. The only hope the prey has from a predator is to hand over something else to eat to save itself."  
  
Sasuke looked away from Naruto and threw the scroll towards their enemy. It was the only way.   
  
A black and gold blur snatched the scroll from mid air then hit a tree trunk and bounced back to Sasuke's branch. Sasuke was beside himself. 'How dare he interfere, I'm trying to save us,' Sasuke thought as Naruto landed next to him. "Don't interfere idiot!"  
  
A fist came up and slammed Sasuke in the side of the head, knocking him backwards. Sasuke staggered and yelled at his teammate. "Why you...Why'd you do that?!"  
  
"Because," Naruto said, his whole body shaking with rage, "You're scared, and the Sasuke I've come to know does not get scared. I did it because you deserve it!"  
  
A kunai appeared in each of Naruto's hand's and he leapt off the branch towards their enemy. "If Sasuke won't fight you then I WILL!"   
  
Naruto's yell brought Sakura out of her stupor and she gasped when the first thing she saw through her tears was a flying Naruto cocked and ready for battle. She found her voice quickly. "NARUTO!"  
  
Sasuke yelled at him too. "No, run Naruto!"  
  
Naruto ignored them, continuing his arc towards their tormentor. 'I've lost faith in you Sasuke,' he thought as he came down on his opponent. He never reached him however. A gesture and a bit of chakra produced a shockwave that knocked Naruto in the opposite direction. Naruto bounced right back, this time loosing his kunai along with six shuriken.   
  
The man smiled as he easily dodged the weapons. With incredible speed he met the flying blond in mid air, launching two fists into the boy's gut with enough force to cause him to break through two tree branches before coming to a stop again.   
  
Naruto spit out blood and sucked air greedily into his lungs. The unexpected blow had knocked the wind clean out of him. It took him almost a minute to recover from the shock. 'Damn he's strong,' Naruto thought as he flinched at the pain in his gut when he stood. But he was determined to beat this man.   
  
He focused his chakra to his legs and sprinted at high speed along the tree branch. When he reached the end he launched himself out into space towards the next tree. He bounced like a pachinko ball from tree branch to tree branch. Sakura could hardly follow his progress. Even Sasuke was having trouble. Naruto's opponent on the other hand had no problem following the boy's flight. He delivered another powerful blow to Naruto when he came in at him.   
  
Naruto hit a tree trunk and a spiderweb of cracks burst out from where he hit. He slumped down in a small heap as he struggled again to regain his breath.  
  
His opponent smiled his evil smile again. "What a cute prey," he said in a sing song voice. Naruto's anger spiked when the words reached his ears.   
  
The Hidden Grass nin almost didn't have time to react to Naruto's next move. The boy stood abruptly, forming hand seals as he rose. A huge intake of breath and a surge of chakra announced his intentions.   
  
A massive wall of fire leapt across the gap between the two combatants so fast that it a lesser ninja would have been roasted alive in a second. Naruto's opponent was fast enough however. A leap upwards took him away from the flames but only for a short time. Naruto followed the man's flight upwards with his fiery breath, nipping at the man's heals the entire way.   
  
Sasuke and Sakura were hit with the backwash from the attack, the super heated air drying the tear's from Sakura's face and singeing Sasuke's hair. The two watched in awe as Naruto followed his opponent upwards with his attack. They had never seen someone redirect their aim while using a fire jutsu. 'One of the Karyuu Endan's better points,' Sasuke thought as the back of his mind compared Naruto's attack with his own Ryuuka no Jutsu.   
  
As quickly as it had come Naruto's attack ended. His opponent dropped back down to another branch, a little further away this time as his former branch was mostly ash and charred wood now. 'This one is more powerful then I thought.'  
  
Naruto walked forward through the remaining small fires his jutsu had created until he stood at the edge of his charred branch. Heat waves and embers swirled around him as if an invisible wind was creating a miniature tornado around the boy. A feral grin spread across his face and his eyes, which had been closed until then, snapped open to reveal pupils very different from his usual blue orbs.  
  
Naruto felt the power, it burned through his chakra system like fire, leaking out in a fine swirling vein of light orange. He had gotten a taste of this power before but had turned away from it, afraid of what it could mean. Now he welcomed it. His hands came together in a familiar seal. With an explosion of chakra shadow clones appeared and multiplied faster and to greater numbers then ever before. Soon there were clones covering almost every part of the trees around the current battle ground. Sasuke made a quick count and lost track at around five hundred. Sakura and Sasuke almost forgot to breath. "Amazing," Sakura whispered. "This is Naruto?"  
  
Naruto's opponent was equally startled and amazed. He hadn't expected anything like this. But unlike Naruto's teammates he knew what Naruto had done. 'So this is Kyuubi's vessel,' he thought, 'how interesting. That would explain where he has been for the last twelve years. I know those face marks. So, Jiriaya has a new student.'  
  
"You're mine," Naruto announced. Each clone produced shuriken and launched them at the lone Grass nin. Together they formed a series of seals and shouted as one. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"  
  
What had started out as five hundred shuriken quickly turned into ten thousand. The sky went black with the small whirling missiles. Trees fell before them and his opponent's tree almost disappeared underneath the attack.   
  
"Alright! That should have done it," about two dozen Narutos stated at once. The clone armies happiness was short lived. The black haired opponent was nowhere to be seen. "What the? Where did he go?" With a fizzle and a huge puff of smoke the clones disappeared. It was the wrong move. Something wet and slimy snagged Naruto around the belly as soon as the last clone had vanished. Naruto suddenly found himself immobilized in the air. He kicked and screamed but nothing happened. He turned in mid air to find his opponent standing behind him, the man's tongue was what was wrapped around him.  
  
It was all over quickly. Naruto fell to the ground, a new seal in place over the nine tails seal. With his power source gone Naruto went limp. The man turned, apparently unfazed by his battle with Naruto, to face Sasuke.  
  
Anko was making good time through the woods. She was searching for him. For the man that had ruined her life and who was now apparently trying to ruin her exam. Trees passed in a blur as she sought him out. She could feel him there, somewhere ahead of her. 'I'm close,'she thought.   
  
Another sense suddenly rang an alarm in her head. There was someone slightly ahead of her but moving with her. The person stopped so she stopped. Another feeling triggered a response in her brain. She smiled and leapt forward. The person ahead of her waited until she landed next to him. She nodded to him and spoke.  
  
"You are also here for the same reason am I right?"  
  
The man nodded. "It is my responsibility now. You do not need to continue."  
  
Anko snarled back. "It is my responsibility! This is my exam and he was my teacher. He betrayed me and so it is my duty to stop him."  
  
The man turned away from her and looked forward, towards the presence that they sought. "You have a reason I know but the Hokage has sent me to deal with him. I too was betrayed by him and in this case I have the stronger claim.   
  
Anko's anger fizzled out. The man was right. "Fine, I leave him to you," She said as she vanished.  
  
Sasuke was totally drained. He had fought the man at his best and it still wasn't enough. He didn't really expect it to be enough after he had seen what Naruto had done but if that idiot was willing to fight then Sasuke had no reason not to try as well. His brother's last words only added fire to his new resolve. But in the end even the famous Uchiha could not beat him.   
  
As he watched the man broke away from the metal wires that bound him to the burnt tree. No one should have been able to survive a direct hit from a fire jutsu that strong but here he was, walking away with half his face gone. The man's fists came together and a sudden weight fell on the raven haired boy's shoulders, forcing him down to his knees.  
  
When the man spoke it was with a different voice. "I'm impressed that you managed to use the sharingan so well at such an age. You live up to the name Uchiha. I want you after all. You two are definitely brothers. Your eyes show more potential then Itachi's though."  
  
Sasuke sucked in a startled breath. "Who are you?!"  
  
The man smiled as he pulled Team Seven's scroll from his pouch. "I am Orochimaru. If you wish to see me again get through this exam." The scroll began to burn in his hands. Soon all that was left was a pile of ash.   
  
"A farewell present then," Orochimaru said. His hands came together in a strange seal and his head shot upwards, his neck lengthening and shooting towards the still paralyzed Sasuke.   
  
A voice echoed through the trees as Orochimaru closed in. "Ninpo Kuchiyose, Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu!"  
  
Orochimaru reeled back. "This jutsu!"  
  
The dark haired man got his extended neck out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by a giant frog that suddenly appeared between himself and his target.   
  
"Long time no see, Orochimaru."  
  
The man's neck returned to normal and he glared up at the man that stood atop the frog's head. "Jiriaya."   
  
The two former teammates glared at each other for a few moments. Orochimaru broke the silence with a chuckle. "I did not expect you to interfere here. It makes no difference. I will have my way." His last words faded away in the coming darkness. The man was gone.   
  
Jiriaya sighed and dismounted from the frog which he then proceeded to dismiss. He patted Sasuke on the back and guided him back to Sakura who was tending to a still unconscience Naruto. The old white haired man looked at his student gravely. He had felt the power the boy had released even from a great distance. He had waited too long he decided. He should have introduced Naruto to his latent power earlier. This was the worst possible time to have the powers of the Kyuubi surfacing. "Well it can't be helped," he mumbled. "Come on you two. Let's get you somewhere where you can rest up. I have a feeling you'll need it." 


	14. From Scratch

No I haven't forgotten about my readers. I still am numbered among the living, but if finals have their way i'll be nothing but a husk in three weeks. Also writing is getting more difficult as i now have to take a very close look at the story line and see what can and can't be done and what should and shouldn't be changed. You guys deserve something to read for the long wait so i'll indulge.  
  
If you've ever been hit over the head, had the air knocked out of you, and managed to get drunk, all in a very short time, you might have some idea of how Naruto felt when he woke the next morning.   
  
The first his friends knew of his waking was a muttered curse. "Damn. Did someone get the number of that truck?"  
  
Sakura giggled a bit as she took a canteen over to him. 'He still manages to be funny even after being knocked out for close to twelve hours,' She thought. The blond groaned as he saw the canteen come into view above him. He was still on the ground. He grasped at it and when Sakura handed it to him he promptly dumped half of it on his head then guzzled the rest.  
  
Naruto sat up with much head rubbing and pushing away of helpful female hands. "I'm fine. I don't need you to baby me now Sakura."  
  
The pink haired girl throttled the impulse to level her teammate and put him back to sleep for another twelve hours. Instead she backed off and pasted an amused expression on her face while he stumbled to regain his proper footing. She was a naturally caring person but she had learned quickly that caring rarely got anywhere with Naruto so instead she tried to make him feel bad for being such a jerk. It hadn't worked yet.  
  
Naruto stood fully and quickly moved to the support of a near by tree trunk. With the regaining of conscienceness the memories of the pervious day returned to Naruto in full force. He lifted his shirt to find no unusual marks on his belly. He sighed and let his shirt drop.  
  
Sakura answered his unspoken question for him. "Jiriaya-sama saved us last night. He drove that guy away and took care of you. He unsealed the seal that Orochimaru placed on you."  
  
Naruto's eyes hardened. He had a name to go with a face now. Sakura continued.  
  
"It was really amazing. After he got us down here he took one look at you and knew what was wrong. It only took him a few seconds to release that seal. You were really lucky to have him as a sensei."  
  
Sakura wanted to say more but stopped herself. She had had no idea what their opponent had done to Naruto but when she saw what Jiriaya did she understood that it had been a seal. What it was sealing was the problem. When she had asked Jiriaya the old man had simply given her a look that said 'don't ask that again' and left it at that. Of course being the inquisitive girl that she was this only fueled Sakura's wish to know what was going on. So after Jiriaya-sama had left two hours ago she took a quick peek under Naruto's shirt.  
  
What she found surprised her. Not only was Naruto...buff...but he sported what looked like another tattoo on his belly. But upon closer inspection she discovered the most amazingly strong seal she had ever heard of. She didn't get a chance to study it though because the markings quickly faded. Soon she found herself staring at just skin which began to bring out those parts of her mind that she kept hidden and under control around everyone but Sasuke. Not a good thing.  
  
Luckily Sasuke had been away retrieving water, otherwise it might have been difficult to explain why she was staring at her teammate's belly.  
  
Naruto rubbed his belly as an after thought. His mind had moved on to other things. He remembered how he had gotten in the fight with Orochimaru in the first place. The reason was sitting on an out thrust root about forty feet away.   
  
Sasuke knew there was going to be trouble when Naruto woke up. So far the two teammates had gotten along well with only a semi friendly rivalry and their personalities posing a problem. But yesterday was the first time they had come to blows. Sasuke knew it was his fault. He knew that he had betrayed Naruto's trust. It hurt him to think about it. For the first time in years the Uchiha had a good friend, which he had betrayed just as they were really getting to know each other.  
  
Sasuke felt the heat from Naruto's eyes fall on him from behind. He cringed inwardly, the echos of Orochimaru's killer intent mixing with the hatred he felt burning into him now. It wouldn't have been all that bad if Sasuke had managed to get the scroll back once Orochimaru relieved an unconscience Naruto of it but Sasuke hadn't even managed to do that. He had watched as the their scroll burned away in the hands of their opponent.   
  
The raven haired boy sat as still as a stone and ignored the burning sensation on his back and mind. He knew he deserved it.  
  
Naruto finally looked away and stuck his hand into his pouch where he had stored the scroll. Not feeling it there he looked at Sakura. The girl knew what the look meant and shook her head slightly. It was all the answer Naruto needed. He ground his teeth together and spitted Sasuke's back with another glare that would have melted metal. This time he had the pleasure of seeing Sasuke flinch just slightly.   
  
"Fine then, if everyone's ready lets get going." Naruto's tone of voice was flat and totally devoid of an emotion. It seemed like he was draining all his emotions out through his eyes which were still locked on Sasuke's back. Naruto had learned a look often did more then words and he had perfected the art against Jiriaya.   
  
Without a word Sasuke rose to his feet and the three jumped back into the upper branches of the trees.  
  
Felt like picking on Sasuke a bit since his scaredy cat bit really pissed me off when I saw it. He deserves it. Sorry to any Sasuke fans out there. I'll continue as soon as possible. Hopefully by the middle of this week. 


	15. The Mask Falls

Ok, here's the rest of "From Scratch". Note this is heavy. A word or two some people won't like, so be warned. Oh yeah, I don't own this stuff.  
  
It didn't take them long to find another team to fight. Actually the other team found them.   
  
Team Seven had barely dropped to the ground in a small clearing when three familiar figures materialized across the open ground from them.   
  
Sakura identified them quickly. "Team Sound."  
  
Indeed it was the three sound nin that had caused trouble before the first exam. Both teams instantly knew this would be a vicious battle as there was already bad blood between them. Neither side would likely give ground.  
  
Sasuke gave a slight start. 'Sound! Orochimaru revealed himself as sound during our fight.' Sasuke had seen the change occur on the man's head protector near the end of their battle. 'If he's sound then why are these three after us? We don't have a scroll anymore for them to take. Unless they don't know yet.'  
  
Sasuke risked a glance at Sakura and saw that she had come to the same conclusion. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't look like he was thinking very deeply at the moment. Now that he had an opponent to face he had forgotten all about his squabble with Sasuke. His anger, which had turned inward once they had gotten moving again, was now focused on the opponents in front of him, specifically the heavily bandaged middle one.   
  
"Well we finally found you," the bandaged nin said. "We want to fight Sasuke-kun."  
  
Sasuke wasn't in the mood for his normal dark humor or comments that he usually voiced before a fight. He simply wanted to hurt something and leave it at that. His reply therefore was a simple stance change telling his opponents that he was ready for them. Naruto, on the other hand, had something totally different in mind.  
  
He pointed a finger at the bandaged sound nin. "You'll fight me and no one else bandage boy!"  
  
The afore mentioned sound nin cocked his head to one side and replied in a sing song tone of voice. "Oh? We were going to wait to kill you until after we dealt with Sasuke-kun but if you're in such a hurry to die then I think we can indulge you."  
  
Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration. Naruto was acting brash again. While she agreed with his idea of splitting up the fighting so it wasn't three on one she didn't like the fact that he had gone and announced the fact that he wanted to fight. If he hadn't he and Sakura could have jumped into the fight at the right time and swung it in their favor.  
  
Sasuke was thinking along the same lines as Sakura but was a bit more vocal in his protests of Naruto's actions. "Damn you Naruto. Stay out of my fight."  
  
Naruto turned his head and locked eyes with his teammate. Sasuke saw the hatred and the desire in the boy's eyes and flinched because he knew it was directed at him. But something else came across in that instant of connection that made him lower his guard. Sasuke suddenly 'knew' that Naruto was trying to vent his anger in some way that did not involve hurting his teammate.   
  
The blond's voice was almost level when he spoke again. "Fuck off Sasuke. You've already done enough damage."  
  
The simple emotionless statement ripped a hole in the raven haired Uchiha's heart. For a boy who had always been popular, whether he cared or not, such a cold and obviously hate filled statement was like a blow to the head. Sasuke never made situations worse, did he?! Sasuke tried to find words to answer back and rebuff the statement but nothing came. For the warrior in Sasuke it was a blow below the belt. His friend and fellow warrior no longer thought he was worthy of fighting their enemies for the team...   
  
...that he wasn't worth the effort...   
  
Naruto's simple statement had unwittingly found the huge echoing cavern in Sasuke's heart that his brother's actions had created years ago.   
  
Sasuke lowered his eyes in disgrace. Sakura, who had been about ready to jump to Sasuke's defense, stopped in horror as she saw Sasuke's proud visage fall away before her. The whole image that was Sasuke, the proud, cold, heartless bad ass, seemed to just slide off the boy leaving a paler, more emotionally frail person in it's place. No one had seen this side of Sasuke for years and even then it had only been his close family. The armor he had built up after his family's death had hid it well and he had worked hard to make sure no one ever found the chink in that armor. His bloodline assured him a spot among the high and powerful. He had never lost a fight against someone his own age and had even held his own against a number of older ninja including Kakashi. He was a genius ninja, he was flawless.  
  
Sakura's eyes showed her astonishment. "Naruto, what have you done to Sasuke-kun?" she whispered under her breath.  
  
Even Naruto in his rage noticed Sasuke's transformation. His mask of hatred slipped slightly and he looked questioningly at his teammate. "Uh Sasuke? You can take one if you want to. Just don't screw up."  
  
Sakura, being the only one of Team Seven still looking in the general direction of the sound nin, was the only one to see them go on the offensive. The bandaged sound nin charged, pulling up his shirt sleeve as he went revealing the strange sound device he had used against Kabuto. She reacted quickly, yelling out a warning to the boys and tackling Sasuke to get him out of the way of the enemies attack. Sakura felt the wind of the enemies attack swish past her head as she and Sasuke went to the ground.   
  
They both hit the ground and rolled. At the same time the feeling of nausea hit Sakura. Her roll became a flop and she skidded to a stop holding her stomach. Sasuke, thanks to Sakura's quick save, was spared the nausea. The jarring tackle and the subsequent roll on the ground jogged Sasuke's mind back into working order.   
  
He turned his fall into a nice roll the brought him back up to his feet. He quickly assessed the situation. Naruto had locked weapons with the bandaged sound nin, the girl sound nin was preparing something behind her back, and the other male sound was lining up for something directly at Sasuke and Sakura's position.   
  
Sasuke acted out of pure reflex, grabbing Sakura around the waist and jumping as hard as he could. A yell of "Zankuha!" echoed behind him and a blast of air wiped the area he had just been in free of rocks and loose objects.   
  
He landed and placed Sakura back on her feet. She swayed a bit but managed to stay standing. She didn't look to good.  
  
The second male sound nin was his problem now. Naruto was taking care of the first. "Sakura, you need to take care of that girl. Can you do it?" Sakura stumbled a bit but nodded and drew her kunai.  
  
Sasuke, sure the Sakura could handle herself, now turned his attention back to his opponent. A plan formed in his mind quickly and set it in motion without hesitation. Hands flew as he performed the necessary seals.  
  
"Katon, Housenka!" Several small fireballs shot out from Sasuke towards his opponent. The black haired sound brought his hands up in front of him. "Don't get so cocky! I'll erase it!" Two bursts of air shot out of his hands and smothered Sasuke's fireballs, but didn't stop the shuriken inside them.  
  
The little weapons sliced past the startled ninja. He brought his arms up to protect his face giving Sasuke the chance to continue his attack. With incredible speed Sasuke charged and planted a foot on the other boy's chin, launching him into the sky.   
  
Stunned, the sound ninja flew upwards in a beautiful arch lying out his body for a textbook attack. Sasuke smiled as he drew his remaining shuriken and kunai and launched them at the boy. The weapon strikes brought a sickening scream from the now falling boy.   
  
At the same moment only several yards away Naruto's elbow managed to embed itself deeply into the bandaged boy's belly after a quick tustle. With a woof of air his body went limp and Naruto let him fall to the ground. He quickly picked his opponent's pouch, robbing him of his scroll of earth.   
  
Sakura and the girl sound nin had yet to engage each other but the sight of her teammates going down so easily took the heart out of her. She stance weakened and she called for stop to the fight. "You are strong, we cannot defeat you. You have our scroll, let us leave in peace." Sasuke and Naruto looked at Sakura who nodded. "Leave our weapons behind and go."  
  
The girl managed to get both of her teammates onto her shoulders some how and walked off at a slow shuffle. Once she was gone Team Seven began breathing again.   
  
Sakura fell to her knees and retched. She had been holding down the impulse for too long already. Sasuke dropped to the ground next to a tree and closed his eyes, not wanting to let his teammates see his vulnerability again.   
  
Naruto grasped the scroll of earth firmly in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief. They had effectively gotten their scroll back now but they couldn't let that keep them from pushing on. But something was bothering Naruto. The blond boy turned and stared at Sasuke as the black haired boy evened his breathing.   
  
Naruto had seen something in Sasuke that he had never seen before. He had always thought Sasuke was just a natural bad ass but the weakness the boy had shown just a few minutes ago told Naruto that Sasuke was more like himself then he had originally thought.   
  
Naruto was a good natured boy at heart but had developed his hard attitude because of his life on the road with Jiriaya. Finding out he carried a hated demon inside him had only reinforced this attitude. He didn't always like it and didn't always use it either. He didn't want to have to wear the deception forever, only until he could figure out a way to deal with the fox.   
  
But in Sasuke he had seen someone who carried deeper scars, maybe even some he didn't have to be carrying at all, and hid it all under a mask much like his own. But there was something different about Sasuke's mask. His was supposed to be permanent. Naruto didn't know where the insight came from but for some reason it actually made him smile.   
  
The anger he had harbored towards Sasuke earlier melted away and was replaced by a feeling of comradeship unlike any he had ever felt before. It felt so good that he laughed out loud.  
  
The laugh was not something Sasuke or Sakura had been expecting. Sasuke's eyes snapped open, a look of hurt managing to slip out of his cracked mask. He thought the laugh was intended to jibe him further but the pureness of the laugh and the lack of hatred or dislike in the blond's eyes instantly put those thoughts to rest.   
  
Naruto threw the scroll to a startled Sasuke who managed to catch it before it hit him in the head. He looked at it dumbly and then gave Naruto a questioning glance.   
  
Naruto laughed again. "I'll give you another chance with it Sasuke. Just as long as you promise it was only a one time thing."  
  
Sasuke had no idea how to take that so he just nodded.  
  
Sakura caught his attention. "Are you ok Sasuke-kun? What happened back there?"  
  
The Uchiha boy gave Sakura a quick glance that quite simply said 'Please don't ask me now.'  
  
'They've seen it,' Sasuke thought, 'They've seen me weak. They've seen the mask slip. They'll want to know. No, not now. I can't let it out now. I need to focus now.'  
  
A second smaller voice spoke up in the back of his head. 'But if not now then when? When you've gotten yourself under control again and don't want to admit you showed it?'  
  
Sasuke forced the thoughts away. He needed some time to think. For now he would keep it secret. For now he would wear the mask.   
  
Hope that made sense. I don't have any real idea of how the mind works, this is all just conjecture, so if it didn't really make sense or you don't think it would work like that please let me know. I'm trying to portray the softer side of Sasuke, the weaker side if you will. You'll see more of it later since he doesn't have the curse(yet?). Some have asked if this is going to be a Sasu/Naru fic. No it's not. people seem to think that if Sasuke's perfect dark man routine cracks once around Naruto that the story will instantly dive into the realm of yaoi. Well this one won't. Come on, can't they get along and not be gay? Lets try it shall we?  
  
Many Thanks to all my fans and reviewers. You're making this better then i could have ever imagined. I try to listen to all of you so don't be scared of voicing your opinion. I'll take it like man. : ) 


	16. Dancing with the Rain

Sorry this took so long. Like you all know i don't own Naruto...too blond for my tastes. ; ) j/k.  
  
The next day and a half rushed by Team Seven in a blur of travel, action, and hard work. After the defeat of the Sound ninja the team had taken a brief rest near one of the rivers. It was while they were there that a familiar figure had appeared among them. Kabuto's appearance had both surprised and delighted Sakura but the two boys were more skeptical. What they gathered from the older silver haired ninja was that he had gotten separated from his squad some time ago and was on his way to meet back up with them at the central tower. In the process of telling them this however Sasuke picked up on something that the older ninja wasn't saying.  
  
"You're scared...aren't you?" he asked when Kabuto was finished. The older boy grinned sheepishly.   
  
"A bit. But rightfully so," he answered.   
  
"Did you try to go off and get a scroll on your own?" Naruto asked, ignoring Sasuke's comment. His eyes narrowed suddenly. "Or are you after ours?"   
  
Kabuto smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't need yours. See." He produced a matching pair of scrolls, one of heaven and one of earth.   
  
After a bit of jaw hanging from Naruto and Sakura Sasuke questioned the older boy further on why he had said he was scared.   
  
Kabuto just chuckled a bit and turned away, gesturing for team seven to follow. "Lets talk while we walk. I sense the woods could have ears."  
  
Kabuto explained how best to fight in the woods and how to out think your enemies under the conditions of the exam. Surprisingly it wasn't Sakura or Sasuke that contributed most to the talk. Naruto seemed to grasp what the older nin was saying and even added ideas and thoughts to the boy's three part observation.   
  
Sasuke glanced at Naruto through the darkness that was now falling all around them. The guy seemed to be showing new sides of his personality every few hours. 'I've taken him too lightly till now,' Sasuke thought. 'I never expected him to have a good grasp of tactics and strategy especially after that first drill with Kakashi-sensei.'   
  
Sakura plucked the half formed question from Sasuke's mind before he could even open his mouth to voice it. "How do you know so much about tactics Naruto?"  
  
The blond boy grinned over his shoulder at his teammate. "Living with Ero-sennin puts you in some interesting situations. Some groups of women actually planned out their attacks when they found out he was peeping on them. We were in some tough spots occasionally. When I couldn't avoid a beating by being nice I had to plan a way out. They didn't always work though." Naruto touched the back of his head unconsciously. He remembered those times when his plans didn't work all to well.   
  
Later that evening the group came within sight of the tower. Kabuto warned them that from here on they should keep the talking to a minimum and move more stealthily. They made slow but steady progress towards the objective, or at least it seemed like they were. It wasn't until Sakura noticed they had passed the same tree three times in as many hours that the group realized they had wandered blindly into someone's trap.  
  
"Genjutsu," Sasuke said quietly.  
  
"So it seems," Kabuto answered. "I was totally fooled. We've been tricked into walking in circles. Quite masterfully done I might add."  
  
"We're being watched too," Sakura said as she began flicking her gaze from tree to tree.  
  
Naruto felt a tingle go up his spine. He'd always had a good sense for when he was being spied on, another by product from Jiriaya's peeping, so it was unnerving to realize someone's eyes had been on him and he hadn't felt it. 'They're good if I can't feel them. Better then Jiriaya maybe.'  
  
"They probably wanted us to waste our strength so they could jump on us when we got tired. We've played right into their plan."  
  
Even before Kabuto was done speaking they all began to feel the subtle gatherings of chakra around them. Sasuke let a cold grin slide onto his face. "They're here."  
  
Dark figures began to materialize, quite literally, out of the wood work. They looked identical in every way. From their black body suits to their spiky hair and eye coverings.  
  
"There are a lot of them. All replications by their looks," Kabuto noted.  
  
"Well then they shouldn't be too tough," Naruto said as he lunged for the nearest one. He landed a clean hit but before he could shout triumphantly the body gave way before him and actually melted under his fist. Sasuke groaned inwardly. 'So maybe he isn't as smart as I thought.'   
  
Naruto's momentum carried him forward. He rolled on the ground but quickly recovered and bounced back to his place between Sakura and Kabuto.   
  
"Well that was interesting," Kabuto said as the clone reformed in front of them. "Normal replications disappear when they're hit yet these didn't. Are they really illusions or do they have real substance?" Kabuto caught Sasuke's eye and nodded. Sasuke knew what the older boy wanted him to do.  
  
'Right. I'll see what's going on. Sharingan!'   
  
Like a blanket of harbor mist suddenly lifting from the water, Sasuke's sharingan peeled back the illusion that had been placed over his eyes by their invisible enemies. The clones showed up as nothing more then illusions under his piercing gaze. In a voice as low as possible Sasuke explained what he saw to his teammates.  
  
"Don't react. They're all illusions. Nothing but air and chakra." Sasuke watched as several of the clones lifted kunai. The clones let fly. Sasuke, thinking the kunai were harmless, stood his ground. Kabuto thought otherwise. The silver haired genin tackled Sasuke. One of the kunai sliced his arm as it passed.   
  
A dual 'what the hell!' echoed from Sakura and Naruto's lips. Sasuke had just said they were only illusions. Kabuto grimaced and pinched the wound together to get it to stop bleeding. He left Sasuke and quickly picked up the kunai that had cut him. "It's real enough."  
  
Sasuke stood, miffed that he had been wrong and that he had been tackled for a second time in as many days. He searched the clones again. They were just clones, which meant...  
  
"Sasuke was right the first time. They're just illusions," Kabuto said, "it's the hidden enemies that are actually attacking. They line up their shot with the clone's attack. This makes it look like the illusions are the ones hurting us when they're really not."  
  
The raven haired Uchiha stood again. "So we wait for them to attack again and I'll be able to trace the attack back to it's source."  
  
Naruto huffed. "Yeah right Sasuke. If they're hidden you won't be able to see where the attacks come from unless they want you to."  
  
Sasuke turned his eyes to meet Naruto's. The intake of breath from his blond teammate as their eyes met showed that Naruto hadn't known about the Uchiha's bloodline. How he had missed it until this point was beyond Sasuke and he didn't really care enough at the moment to wonder why.   
  
Naruto continued to stare in surprise at his friend's face as if he'd grown an extra nose or something. His mouth worked a bit before he finally was able to talk. "What...in...hell...are those?"   
  
"Not now idiot," Sasuke responded in a unfriendly grating tone, "I'll explain late...LOOK OUT!"   
  
Naruto reacted with reflexes honed from hours of training. He dropped and rolled away to his left. Three kunai thudded into the dirt where Naruto had just stood.   
  
Because he had been facing in Naruto's direction when it happened Sasuke easily saw the weapons and where they had originated from.   
  
"I have you!" he yelled.  
  
A quartet of buzzing shuriken streaked off into the deep brush. Somewhere out of sight they found their target. A muffled scream announced they had hit where Sasuke had wanted them to. A third of the clones in front of the leaf ninja wavered for a moment then stabilized.   
  
Sakura noticed the change right away. "Look you can see through some of them now! We weakened them. Good job Sasuke-kun!"  
  
Naruto looked at his onyx eyed partner in stunned amazement. 'A bloodline limit? How did I not see before? How did I miss this? How strong is he really?'  
  
Naruto willed his mind away from this startling new development and back to where he needed it, in the battle.   
  
"I don't think we'll be that lucky again," Kabuto said. The clones had begun to close in.   
  
"Ok, so we take out the clones and then use the confusion to pinpoint the remaining enemies. I'll take care of that."  
  
Naruto's hands came together in a cross like seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"  
  
Shadow clones appeared, matching the enemy clones body for body. "Let's do this!"  
  
The Naruto clones blitzed the enemy, knocking them aside in a flurry of fists and feet. Despite all of his effort the enemy clones began to reappear just as fast as Naruto was able to knock them down. In the distraction Sasuke watched for another missile from the real enemies. He was so focused on Naruto's actions that he almost didn't see the kunai aimed at him. The razor sharp edge grazed his shoulder, only missing his chest because of suburb reflexes. The pain didn't come by itself though. He saw where it came from.   
  
Instead of firing off a return volley of missiles he took a few quick steps backwards and merged with the foliage. Kabuto noted Sasuke's movement and hoped the enemy wouldn't notice too soon.   
  
Slipping as silently as possible up into the rafter like branches of the trees, Sasuke made his way around where he had seen the missile come from so he could approach from the rear. He teleported from tree trunk to tree trunk, giving the hidden enemy as little sight of his body as possible.   
  
After a few minutes of silent movement, concealed partly by the still raging battle below, Sasuke was rewarded with the first sight of their enemy. From what he could see of them they were hidden rain nin. Their strange suits and breath masks gave that away quickly even without looking at their head protectors. One of them was busy targeting a brace of kunai. The second was busy trying to keep the clones going while patching up the third ninja who looked like he was out cold. Bloody holes indicated where Sasuke's well aimed shuriken had hit their marks. The whole group was no more then three feet apart.   
  
Sasuke made some quick calculations. He could manage what he had planned after all.

The lead hidden rain ninja was a little disappointed that his ambush wasn't going as well as he had planned. The enemy below was still busy with his clones and didn't seem to have figured out the whole trap yet. The shuriken that the black haired boy had thrown must have been a lucky throw since he hadn't managed to do it again.   
  
That thought triggered a little red flag in the ninja's brain. He hadn't seen the boy for over four minutes. He had been too busy trying to get a good shot at the blond's clones and the silver haired genin that he had almost forgotten about the lucky little kid. He did a quick search for the boy in question and found he was no where in sight. He turned slightly to question his still active teammate. "Have you seen that black haired kid?"  
  
The other man turned an eye, his only one visible, toward the clearing below. "No I haven't."  
  
More signals went off in the rain leader's mind. "How unlucky. Has he slipped away?"   
  
A voice behind him answered the question for him. "I'm right here." A sandaled foot hit him like a cannon ball. A second foot smashed into his remaining comrade. Together they went headfirst towards the ground which rushed up to meet them with alarming speed. The leader uttered a little curse as his head met the unmoving and uncaring earth.   
  
"Unlucky."   
  
And there you have it. I'll probably be posting this up as a new chapter for a few days then moving it so it replaces that "lateness" rant that you guys wished was a chapter. So just be prepared. IT WILL MOVE AT SOME POINT!


	17. Finish

Gah! So short I know but summer classes have been playing hell with my writing. They end today but that really isn't the reason for the chapter, if you want to call it that. I'm leaving friday morning for a 10 day trip back to my old stomping grounds...Hawaii! I felt i shouldn't make you wait any longer for even the smallest of updates. I promise i'll write more when i get back on the 3rd. I'll have plenty more time after my trip.   
  
You all know the line by now. I don't own this stuff.  
  
---------------------  
  
Kabuto spotted their opponents as they fell from the trees off to the Leaf team's left. They hit the ground hard. 'Sasuke must have boosted his attack with chakra. That was a strong blow.' Kabuto thought as he dispatched one of the surviving clones.  
  
The Uchiha in question dropped to the ground next to the downed ninja as the last of the opposing shadow clones disappeared in puffs of smoke. Naruto roared in victory when the last clone vanished. Sakura grunted in satisfaction then slumped to the ground.   
  
The silver haired ninja and the blond ball of energy made their way over to the pile that was their opponents. Sasuke was already rooting through their packs to find their scroll. Naruto joined him in the search leaving Kabuto to mull over what had transpired. He took a closer look at the spots Sasuke had hit on his opponents. The imprints the boy's two sandaled feet had made lay over two critical pressure points on the back of each opponent's neck. They were hard to hit except at close range. Even a Jounin would have found them difficult to hit at anything approaching stand off distance which meant Sasuke had to have gotten really close to hit them with any accuracy. Kabuto would have whistled in amazement but he bit down on the impulse. 'I can see why you desire such a person Orochimaru-sama. He is quite a prize.'  
  
Sasuke stood and jumped back up into the trees, reappearing a few moments later with a third enemy ninja over his shoulder. The bloody wounds on the man's torso attested to Sasuke's accuracy with weapons and incredible use of his bloodline limit. 'Quite the find indeed.'  
  
Naruto let loose with a huge grin and pulled a scroll out of one of the downed ninja's packs. He hefted a scroll of heaven, a match to the scroll of earth they had gotten from the three sound ninja that had caused them trouble. Sakura sighed heavily. "That's it. We've got both of them. Now we can get to the tower." She said she struggled back to her feet.   
  
The three young men nodded. Naruto managed to hold back a shout somehow. Kabuto went around to each of the fallen ninja and touched a pressure point under each of their arms to make sure they wouldn't be moving any time soon. Sasuke set about acquiring shuriken and kunai from their opponents to replenish his stocks. They were ready to leave within four minutes of the end of the fight.   
  
They reached the tower an hour later. The moon had just entered the sky when Team Seven bade Kabuto farewell and entered one of the sealed doors in the tower's base. Kabuto stayed outside to wait for his team which he assured them were not far behind.   
  
The door led them into a large bare but brightly lit room.   
  
"There's no one here." Naruto said in a slightly huffy manner. "You think we'd at least get a welcoming committee or something. What are we supposed to do now?"  
  
Sasuke nodded towards a large sign at the far end of the hall. "That will probably tell us what the next step is."  
  
Sakura read it out loud. "If you do not possess heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess earth, run through the fields and gain strength. If you have both heaven and earth, dangerous paths turn safe. This is the secret of 'something something'. It shall lead you on the way."  
  
"Ah damn. I hate riddles." Naruto said as he scratched his head in contemplation.  
  
Sakura pointed to a specific area where a word was apparently missing. "I can't what it fully means without that missing character. But I'm guessing it has something to do with the scrolls. I think it's telling us to open both of the scrolls."   
  
Sasuke pulled out both the scrolls and handed one to Sakura. They collectively held their breaths as they fingered the edges of the paper. Tension seemed to suddenly fill the room. It dripped from the ceiling and pooled at their feet. Naruto gulped and nodded. "Do it."  
  
As one Sakura and Sasuke pulled open their scrolls. The effect was rather anti climactic.   
  
"Hito...Jin?" Sakura said as she looked at the writing, confusion stamped large on her face. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what those two characters meant. His suspicion was confirmed when the paper began to bulge and spout smoke.   
  
"This is a summoning jutsu," he said in a panic. He had seen Jiriaya perform summonings multiple times before and was well versed in their varied types. He also knew what could happen when a summoning went wrong.   
  
Sasuke also knew what summonings were about and knew well enough to stay away from them. "Quick, get rid of them."  
  
Sakura threw hers away with a small yell. Sasuke just grunted as he discarded his. The two scrolls bounced off the ground and landed together, their unfurled pages overlapping. The smoke they emitted multiplied and a loud pop of displaced air announced the arrival of the summon.   
  
Team Seven took a collective step back, unsure about who or what would appear out of the smoky haze. As it cleared their eyes widened in surprise.  
  
Sasuke's voice seemed to stumble over itself as he realized who it was. "You are..."  
  
The sandals, the cloths, the pony tail. Naruto gasped, his mouth hanging off it's hinges. This was the last person he expected. "E...ERO SENNIN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!"  
  
--------------------  
  
A bit of a twist there at the end for you. Inner Vala - The hell it was. It's Iruka's only appearance in however many episodes and you steal it from him!? You bet your rear end i did. I don't like Iruka much anyway and with Naruto not having been in his class he doesn't mean anything. Sorry to any Iruka fans out there, if there are any.

TOKEHGECKO - Sorry it took me so long to reply. I don't mind if you stick my story on your web site. I'm honored you think it rates a spot.


	18. Explaining and Brainstorming

Sorry about the month or more delay in getting the new chapter out. Summer has not turned out to be the incredible writing time I thought it would be. Hell I have more motivation to write during the school year! Anyway...again I apologize for the wait. I hope you enjoy!

And for all those out there wondering...no I don't own Naruto...too bad.

Begin Story

Jiriaya's smile disappeared about as fast a one might expect. An eyebrow twitched but beyond that the old man held back his anger. He was here to congratulate them after all. "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" He asked cooly. 

Naruto stopped looking amazed and quickly reverted to a more annoyed look. "How should I know. I didn't bother to continue counting after a thousand or so," Naruto said idly as he picked at his teeth.

The old sennin sagged in disgust. 'I really need to work on our teacher/student relationship. This is just getting out of hand.'

The blond stopped looking board and pointed at his teacher. "Back to my question. Why are you here old man?"

"To congratulate you on passing the second exam lame brain." Jiriaya looked miffed now but his frown quickly melted back into a smile. He couldn't stay mad at Naruto for very long in the first place. Seeing him now, dirty and bloodied there with his teammates, warmed his old heart.

His smile was infectious. It spread first to his blond pupil then to his two friends. Sakura fell to her knees, her head bowed and her arms raised in the air, before falling backwards onto her back. Sasuke brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and allowed the smallest of smiles to warm his face. Naruto was, as his temperament dictated, much more boisterous then his teammates. An explosion of jumping, cheering, and face splitting smiles engulfed the crazed blond boy. The show would have startled Jiriaya if he hadn't seen the display a thousand times before. He simply waited it out. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged amazed looks. 'He still has energy after all of that?' Sasuke wondered silently. Sakura watched the display with rapt attention. Anyone who could pull off such a feat after close to five days of arduous travel and combat had her utmost attention.

After the volcano that was Naruto settled down the team had a chance to ask some questions. Sakura propped herself back up.

"Um, Jiriaya-sama? Is that the only reason you're here?" She asked.

Jiriaya's smile slipped from his face again. He sat down before them and studied them for a few moments. He seemed to come to a decision. His eyes hardened as he realized there was no way to avoid this question. The old man took a deep breath and launched into his explanation.

"No that's not the only reason I'm here. Normally a chuunin would have greeted you and congratulated you on finishing the test. But because of the "incident" a few days ago I took a closer interest in the exam and asked if I could be allowed to greet you at the end. Hokage-sama allowed me to do so in the interest of security." Jiriaya looked at them carefully for a moment, his eyes staying noticeably longer on Sasuke, before continuing. "We've figured out at least one of the reasons for Orochimaru's appearance during the exam. He has an interest in you Sasuke-kun for fairly obvious reasons."

Naruto shot Sasuke a look. He hadn't forgotten what Sasuke's eyes had done in their previous encounter. 'Is his bloodline limit really that special?' Naruto wondered. Sakura and Sasuke obviously knew more about it then he did and judging by the shocked expression Sakura was wearing it was indeed a big deal.

"He has always been obsessive about gaining access to every jutsu known to man. Its been a passion of his for as long as I've known him. Your sharingan, if he were to get a hold of it, would give him a huge advantage and make him even more deadly then he already is."

Naruto growled and held out his hands in a stopping motion. "What's all this about Sasuke? What is this Sharin-thing you were talking about just now? Some one explain this to me!"

Jiriaya blinked, suddenly thrown off by Naruto's question. He pointed from one boy to another. "You mean you still don't know about Sasuke-kun's bloodline?!"

Naruto shrugged and looked darkly at Sasuke who gave him the same look back. Naruto couldn't get the look right and he knew it. "He never told me. No body ever told me. I had to find out the hard way during our last fight!"

Jiriaya exploded. "What the hell! No body told you!? You're supposed to be a team and no body told you about this oh so small detail?"

Team Seven shook their heads. Sakura managed to look slightly abashed while doing so and Sasuke and Naruto ended by glaring at each other again. Jiriaya slapped his head and mumbled something that sounded decidedly vulgar enough to curl hair. All together the whole company had gotten significantly less warm in a matter of seconds.

The old man ended his string of near silent curses and looked back up at them. Sakura actually flinched when she saw how mad he was. This wasn't the happy go lucky perverted old man she'd met a week ago. He had been replaced by a dead serious and extremely peeved sennin.

Jiriaya cut back on his anger when he saw Sakura look away. He sighed heavily. "Ok...lets start it from the top then shall we? Sakura," Sakura flinched again but nodded, "could you explain to Naruto what Sasuke-kun's bloodline limit is and how it works? According to Naruto you're the brain of this team so this should be easy."

Naruto would have killed Jiriaya then and there if Sakura hadn't spoken up.

"The Uchiha clan is one of the two major clans in Konoha with their bloodline limit centered around their eyes. These eyes, called Sharingan, are incredible tools and provide several skills no other clan has access to. The most important of these skills is the ability to copy and use another ninja's techniques. Another of the abilities allows the user to follow and analyze moves or techniques that a normal ninja would not be able to follow due to speed or complexity."

Sakura paused and looked over at Sasuke quickly before continuing. "The Sharingan has several other attributes but those are hidden and are not readily available outside the clan." Sasuke whipped his head around in astonishment when Sakura mentioned the other hidden attributes of his bloodline. Sakura glanced away to avoid eye contact with him and continued.

"After Sasuke-kun used his Sharingan for the first time during training I went and looked it up in the Ninja archives to see if I could learn more. That was all I could learn. The rest is kept in the top secret clan file section but I wasn't allowed in there." Sasuke was almost glaring kunai at Sakura now but eased off slightly when she said she hadn't learned any more. Still he wasn't happy she knew so much about him and his clan's abilities.

'As if she isn't annoying enough with all the mushiness she has to be a nosy know it all too. Damn! I'm gonna have to talk to her about this at some point. She could know more then she's letting on. Still, I'm surprised she kept it secret for so long.'

Naruto had apparently forgotten about hurting his mentor. He hung on every word Sakura spoke and continued to give Sasuke amazed glances throughout her small briefing. When she was done Naruto clicked his mouth shut, which had swung open slightly as his mind thought of the possibilities a bloodline like that could have, closed his eyes, and crossed his arms in thought.

Jiriaya had seen this pose before and smiled inwardly. Naruto tended to do this when he processed important information or was making a big decision of some sort. Naruto had done this while choosing which jutsu to learn next, when he tried to decide which ramen he would try at every town they visited, and most importantly on the rare occasion when he was really thinking of a good way to bother or harm is older mentor. But what really made Jiriaya smile was the fact that whenever Naruto assumed this posture the resulting decision tended to be radically different then any normal Naruto made decision. Jiriaya could almost see the wheels spinning in his student's head.

Sakura noticed his strange demeanor as well and, looking for something to do aside from avoiding Sasuke's angry glances, tried to shake him out of it. Jiriaya caught her eye before she could shake him back to reality and gave her a silent shake of the head and a smile.

Sasuke in turn noticed this small exchange between the white haired Sennin and his annoying female teammate. It was enough to put his anger on the back burner and make him take notice of his other teammate's strange behavior.

Together they watched Naruto as he stood there, perfectly still except for the occasional twitch of an eyebrow. Then...a sudden intake of breath. His bright blue eyes glinted as they reopened. His black jacket flapped open as his arms spread from his chest suddenly.

"Alright!" He announced in a loud bold voice. The two younger onlookers blinked at the rapid change. A finger whipped around and fixed itself on Sasuke who stared at it as if it were a gun. His eyes moved from the finger up the arm to Naruto's face. The blond's eyes held a dangerously exciting glint and his smile was equally exhilarating with a touch of...something...that hinted at future mischief and adventure.

Sasuke blinked several times more. His anger at Sakura and his disgust at Naruto totally forgotten.

"This is perfect!" Naruto announced, his excitement obviously building rapidly.

"What's perfect Naruto?" Sakura dared to ask.

Naruto gave her a stunning smile but kept his finger on Sasuke. "WE CAN TRADE JUTSUS!" Naruto exclaimed.

Time froze for a moment as if encased in glass. Sakura still looked expectantly at Naruto who was smiling and pointing at Sasuke who was now looking rather uneasily at the offending finger.

Then of course the glass cracked and time came roaring back into play. Sasuke rolled his eyes and frowned. "Idiot," he muttered.

Sakura's shoulders sagged in frustration and through shear force of will held herself back from pummeling Naruto.

Naruto saw that he had lost his moment and his audience. "Wait, wait! Listen for a sec. Sasuke can copy jutsu then share them with us. We'll be able to copy any jutsu we see! We'll be unstoppable."

Sasuke glared at his blond teammate in annoyance. "Why would I do that? What's in it for me?"

Naruto's smile turned wicked. "Because I have a jutsu I know you want, maybe even two."

A raven eyebrow twitched. Naruto went in for the kill. "Karyuu Endannnnn...! I know you want it Sasuke. You probably want my Shruiken Kage Bunshin too. I might even let you have my trademark technique...Kage Bunshin."

Sakura looked surprised. "You shouldn't be sharing your best techniques with other people Naruto!"

Jiriaya, a smile still hovering on his face, stepped forward and nodded. "Normally I'd say the same thing. Shinobi shouldn't throw their best techniques around for everyone to see. But in this instance I actually agree with Naruto. It'll foster team work and help you get to know each other better. Not to mention you'll be learning some new techniques." He turned and contemplated the raven haired Uchiha. "Obviously it'll be easier for Sasuke-kun to learn techniques then it will be for you two but he has the added difficulty of teaching the things he learns back to you. He'll get practice with the jutsus he learns while teaching to you though so it all evens out. It will be long hard work but it could lead to faster growth then if you were to go about learning techniques separately."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically and winked his thanks to his teacher as he awaited his teammates' decisions. He could already tell Sakura liked the idea. Being the weakest in the team meant she needed to push any advantage she could. And it wasn't likely that she'd turn the idea down if Sasuke agreed. Which meant it all hinged on Sasuke.

The Uchiha's face was as unreadable as ever which pissed Naruto off to a point. 'Couldn't the bastard show more interest or expression? I wonder how hard it is to keep your face that neutral?' Naruto idly wondered.

Finally Naruto got some movement out of Sasuke. The boy's charcoal eyes flicked from Naruto to Sakura then back to Naruto. He gave a huff of resignation. "I guess...we could do that. I still think it'll be a waste of time though." He seemed totally uninterested but Jiriaya could see the faint flicker of a smile and the hooded excitement in the boy's eyes and knew he was hooked.

The old man shook his head ruefully and stepped back a few feet. "Then I'll leave you to it. You have until tomorrow afternoon to train and rest before the third exam. I'll be there to watch you tomorrow."

A puff of smoke and the old sennin was gone leaving Team Seven alone.

Naruto was grinning madly again. He clapped his hands and rubbed them in anticipation. "Ok lets get started! I'll start with the Karyuu Endan. I'll do it nice and slow for you Sasuke. Sakura you should watch too. I'll only able to do it a couple times even at minimum power so you'll have to watch carefully..."

End Story

And there it is people. I had a hard time writing a whole chapter of talking. But I think its cool cause it takes the story in a new direction, not that this isn't already headed in a new direction. And while you wait for the next installment here's a few things to chew on..

Extras

I had one of the craziest Naruto related dreams last night. Its one of those loose cannon dreams where I haven't been thinking about Naruto at all for the past three days and suddenly out of no where this pops up. I've never had Naruto dreams before so just by being one it's earned my interest. I also remember it extremely well as I dreamed it between going back to sleep at 9am and rewaking at 10am.

Have you ever had a dream where you're actually conscience of dreaming while it's happening? Well this was one of those kinds of dreams. At random moments my mind would say "You know this is a dream right? And what the hell was that? Where did that come from?" Not the first time its happened to me but with this one it was very pronounced.

Ok...the dream. Team seven is given a mission to kill an evil business man who also has some latent magical abilities. Sakura and Sasuke are sent in to scout the place out. He and his groupies are hiding out in a small Japanese mall and restaurant that they own. Sasuke and Sakura go in like they're shoppers. Mid way through the small mall Sasuke and Sakura morph into myself and my fellow manga/anime junky Ashley. Instantly we're drawn to a beautiful sight. A huge manga/anime store. We're running around it drooling and pulling things off shelves just to hold them. Our images kinda fade out to be replaced by Sasuke and Sakura once again. Somehow they are captured and taken away. Then I shift to Naruto who is with Kakashi. They have discovered that their recon group has failed. Kakashi can't go in for some reason so he decides to send Naruto in alone. But before he leaves Kakashi performs an amazing feat. He gives Naruto temporary Sharingan! Sorta like temp tattoos I guess except they hella hurt for the first minute. His eyes are stuck in Sharingan mode until the spell wears off. Kakashi warns him not to show his eyes until absolutely the last minute. What does Naruto do to hide them? He puts on MY sunglasses! (I've been using them a lot so they've been on my mind.) He waltzes in to the mall with typical Naruto flair and invades the restaurant where the big boss is. His cronies plus their two prisoners are sitting around a large table at the back. But there are two problems. It's dark, which means he has to ditch the glasses, and the boss isn't in sight. Naruto goes into eye squint mode, you know the one, and steps up to the table. Sasuke and Sakura try to warn him off but its no good. The cronies get up and advance on Naruto. Naruto sees no other choice and has to open his eyes. With the Sharingan everyone seems to slow down. I, Naruto, can see the moves coming and can move to react. Naruto bashes one really big guy over the head with a chair then uses the broken back of the chair and stabs it through the guy's chest. The rest are a bit fuzzy but the look on Sasuke's face as Naruto's doing this is loud and clear. All the cronies are either incapacitated or dead but before Naruto can release his buds an actual ninja shows up and challenges Naruto. The guy looks like a turtle only with human legs, arms, and head sticking out of a large shell. Really weird. Naruto and turtle boy apparently know each other and have apparently fought before. Naruto goes foxy to take care of this guy, which looks really cool with sharingan I might add, and finishes off turtle guy. As the battle ends the temp sharingan fade away. (Pity) Sasuke, apparently feeling left out of the fray, says he'll scout ahead to look for the boss. He takes off and radios back that he's entering a cave system out back of the mall. There are huge spider webs everywhere (I just watched LOTR3 last night so you can guess where this comes from) and he senses lots of movement farther in. He gets to a central open spot which has an opening to the sky above. As he enters literally hundreds of monster spiders come charging out at him, fangs dripping venom. He goes about with fireballs and chidori but it isn't enough. This is the point where Sakura and Naruto appear above the battle. They see Sasuke go down but can't do anything about it. As Sasuke slides into oblivion with spiders closing in he sees them about him and as a last act of friendship "grants" one of his sharingan eyes to Naruto who now looks like a younger Kakashi. At this point my mind is laughing at the concept of Naruto with his head protector slouched over one eye. But Naruto does it as the spiders cover Sasuke and the feeding frenzy begins, which we don't see. The dream continues for a bit but I don't remember it after that. Then I woke up.

Some dream huh? I went and had a bowl of cereal and thought about it a bit then decided to jump on my computer and write it up.

More Extras

Here are two story ideas I've had that I don't think I'll ever get around to writing so I'm putting them out there for you people to play with and make your own.  
  
1. As if life in Konoha wasn't already complicated enough two mysterious girls, a panda, and a black piglet appear at the gates claiming to be lost. Warily the citizens of konoha open their homes to them only to discover they've let in the weirdest bunch of characters ever, and they won't leave! Hilarity and martial arts mayhem ensues as Team Seven and the rest of Konoha learn to deal with the problem magnet that is...Ranma?!  
  
2. How might Naruto's story be different if two of the most powerful houses in Konoha had been switched? Instead of Uchiha Sasuke its Hyuuga Sasuke! The Uchiha's are the noble family of Konoha and Hyuuga has the power hungry heir and the crazed super murderer as its only members left. Shudder. What strange twists would that have brought? Perhaps too many.  
Play with them people. I sure won't.


	19. Unexpected A Beastly Battle

Well it's about time I posted another chapter. I won't bother explaining myself. Suffice it to say I've been thinking about things besides Naruto lately. I did go to my first Con though. KumoriCon in Portland Oregon was a blast. Even though it was only the con's second season I thought it was great. There was a huge turn out of Naruto cosplayers and several Naruto fanfics won awards in the Fanfic contest. I didn't get mine in because I was only there for Monday but I did read several of them and thought they were really good. To any of you writers who were there and won I say congrats. To anyone who was there in general I again! Oh, if you saw a tall guy with a pigtail and a robotech shirt on following a female Squall character around you saw me.

* * *

The next afternoon the teams that had made the cut off time for the test assembled in a large training room. The room came complete with poised hands and viewing balconies. 

As the teams filed in Anko noted with pleasure the small numbers. Only six teams walked through the doors to line up before the huge raised hands. Four Leaf, one Sand, and one Sound team had made it through. But it wasn't the numbers that impressed Anko the most. It was the number of rookie teams that had made it through. Three of the four Leaf teams were made up of the Academy's most recent graduates. Of course considering who their Jounin sensei were she shouldn't have been surprised.

Down on the main floor the assembled genin were gauging the competition that had made it this far.

Team Seven was slightly alarmed by the fact that Kabuto's team was no where in sight. A few whispered thoughts between them led to the conclusion that either Kabuto's teammates hadn't made the cut off or that he had been set upon by another team while he waited.

Further thoughts were cut off as Anko announced that the Hokage would explain the next test. The old man stepped forward and cleared his throat. But instead of going into the specifics for the next test he began to spout something about friendship between countries, replacement for war, pride of nations, and so on.

Most of it washed right over Naruto. He was too concerned about the next test to let the Hokage's words sink in much. Instead of opening his ears he opened his eyes.

One of the first things Naruto noticed was that the Sound ninja's sensei was conspicuously absent. Naruto wondered about that for a moment but decided it was of no great importance and filed the thought away.

Naruto gave the Sound team a quick glance. They looked slightly better then when he had seen them last. The one he had fought looked bruised but well. The one Sasuke had fought however looked as pale as death. Multiple bandages dotted his body and he seemed to be having a hard time breathing. That was something to note if they had to fight again any time soon.

His eyes wandered farther a field as the Hokage spoke about gaining and losing clients because of prestige. He gave Jiriaya a wink when they made eye contact and made a general sweep of the room.

But his wanderings came to an abrupt end with the arrival of a young Chuunin who introduced himself as Gekkou Hayate, the referee. After a cough or two Hayate began an explanation.

"You will be participating in a preliminary match to decide who is to go on to the main third exam event."

Eyes blinked and jaws opened. 'Preliminary' was muttered under almost everyone's breath. Sakura spoke up after a rather loud yell from another Leaf nin.

"I don't understand. What do you mean by preliminary sensei? Why can't everyone here participate in the third exam?"

Hayate sighed and began to explain the process further.

"The first and second tests may have been too easy this year. We have too many people remaining so, according to the exam rules, we have to have a preliminary to reduce the number to a more manageable amount for the third test."

Sakura, deflated somewhat with the answer she had gotten, seemed to sink back into herself.

Hayate continued. "As Hokage-sama said. There will be many important guests at the third exam. Country Lords, Head's of Hidden Villages, etc. The fights, if we didn't have a preliminary, would possibly go on longer then our limited time allows for. So...any who are feeling unwell..."

A coughing fit interrupted his speech for a long moment but he continued on gallantly.

"Any who are feeling unwell or who feel like quitting after this explanation, please raise your hand or come forward now, since we will be starting the preliminaries immediately."

More startled yells and groans greeted this announcement. Some of the teams had obviously not gotten enough rest. Team Seven, thankfully, was not one of them.

Hayate spoke up louder amid the general rumble of voices. "Oh, I forgot. Matches from here on will be one on one. Be your own judge for whether you should stay in or not."

Silence reclaimed the room as Hayate stopped talking. No one spoke up. No hands were raised. No one stepped forward. After a respectable time elapsed Hayate nodded. "Very well then...let's begin the preliminary. This preliminary will be one on one fighting. Since we have eighteen entrants we can have nine matches and the winners will advance to the third exam. There are no rules. The fight will continue until one of you dies, gets knocked out, or admits defeat. If you don't want to die then admit defeat quickly. But if I decide a the win has been clearly established I will jump in and stop things. We don't want a pile of corpses if at all possible."

A stone slab part way up the wall began to move aside as Hayate spoke. When it had fully opened he motioned to it. "And the thing that holds your fate...is this. An electronic scoreboard. It will randomly generate matches for each battle." Hayate paused for effect then continued on. "I know this is sudden but lets announce the contestants for the first battle."

Eyes turned upward as the screen blinked to life and began to rapidly cycle through names. People broke out in nervous sweats and a gulp or two could be heard as fate made it's choice.

Two names flashed to life and a collective intake of breath could be heard around the room.

**Uchiha Sasuke Vs. Inuzaku Kiba**

Naruto's face split in a huge satisfied grin. Sasuke was first, which was ok, and he was also fighting dog boy, which was also ok. Naruto would have liked to do it himself but having Sasuke deal out the pain to the flea infested idiot was pretty good too.

"Would those two please come forward," Hayate said in his monotone voice.

Sasuke was wearing his patent smirk as he stepped forward. Kiba didn't look like he was enjoying his moment of glory though. He looked confident enough but there was a slight jerk in his legs as he stepped off that betrayed his unease.

As the two faced off Hayate stepped up between them. "The first two fighters are Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzaku Kiba. Are you ready?"

The two fighters nodded

"Very well then. We will be starting the first match. cough Everyone else please move to the upper levels."

Naruto gave Sasuke a thumbs up before turning towards the stairs. Sakura gave him a half hearted smile and followed after her blond teammate. Kakashi walked by after them and gave Sasuke a pat on the shoulder and a whispered 'do your best'.

Kiba received a quite whisper of support from Hinata then from Kurenai before his team took to the stairs.

The teams seemed to divide silently, as if the whole thing was prearranged. All the Leaf teams to one side and the foreign teams to the other. The Hokage and his staff joined the Leaf side a few moments later.

The room was quiet except for the patter of feet as they made their way up to the balconies. Then another sound intruded, the sound of someone falling. Heads turned from all over the arena to see what had happened. Eyes were drawn towards a prone figure half way up the right hand stairs. Older heads nodded as they noticed who it was.

Zaku had apparently succumbed to his wounds as he made his way up the stairs. His teammates, already farther up the stairs then their wounded friend, simply stood there and stared. They seemed totally uncaring for they moved not a muscle to help him. Sharp eyes could pick out fresh blood on his bandages.

Hayate contemplated the fallen boy for a moment before glancing up at his Hokage. The old man nodded slightly, giving the referee the go ahead. Hayate didn't hesitate after that. He called for a medic team who promptly removed Zaku on a stretcher.

Once they were out of sight Hayate spoke up. "Uh, due to injury Abumi Zaku has been removed from the running. That leaves one spot open which means one of you will get by without a match and move strait on to the third test."

Genin eyes flickered from one to another as if trying to guess who the lucky one would be. Hayate noticed it and quickly spoke again. "We will continue as before. The passer will not be announced before hand."

A groan could be heard from the direction of Team Ten but beyond that no one reacted. People finished moving to the upper balconies in silence.

Once they were all situated Hayate spread his arms to encompass the two combatants. "Very well...you may begin."

Both fighters took up a ready stance as the referee chopped his hand downward. After a few intense moments of staring Kiba huffed.

"I didn't expect to get matched up with you Sasuke-kun. But since I am I don't suppose I should waste energy with opening moves," Kiba said as he crouched down and dug around in his hip pack. Akamaru growled and hunched himself on his masters back.

Kiba produced two black beads no bigger then a normal pill. Sasuke's eyes widened. 'Are those food pills?,' he wondered. Kiba promptly popped one in his mouth then tossed one to his animal friend.

Sasuke could easily hear the gasps of astonishment coming from above him. Considering the loudest were both female he figured they belonged to Kiba's teammate and his sensei. If they seemed startled at their teammate's tactics it had to mean something big was happening. Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan and focused his attention back solly on his opponent.

Kiba's smirking smile grew as he felt the increased power coursing through his body. On his back he could feel a similar reaction happening with his dog partner. For the audience and his opponent it was a very unusual show.

Akamaru's fur began to thicken and spike out in all directions. It began to turn a dark brownish red as well. The dog seemed to be going through a bit of a growth spurt to boot. Kiba on the other hand seemed to be bathed in fiery blue chakra, more then he should have had in the first place. Together, dog and master made a fearsome spectacle as they beefed themselves up.

Once the transformation was complete Kiba crouched down even more and brought his hands together. He smiled as he activated his jutsu. 'Gijyuu Ninpou, Shikyaku no Jutsu'

The boy's chakra danced around his body now, dancing to a faster more primaeval beat then before. His hands came down on the floor. As they did his fingernails noticeably lengthened until they resembled claws.

Akamaru barked as Kiba rose back up, a feral light in his eyes, and spoke his next jutsu.

"Gijyuu Ninpou, Jyuujin Bunshin!"

A cloud of smoke enveloped Akamaru. When it cleared a perfect clone of Kiba sat on the real Kiba's back.

Sasuke's eyes had watched the entire process.

The Kiba duo snarled fiercely at their opponent who had yet to make a move.

"Here it comes!," Kiba yelled as the pair launched itself into an attack on the Uchiha boy.

Their speed impressed Sasuke, as did their attack pattern. If he dodged one way the clone would get him. If he dodged another way the real Kiba would strike. It was a brilliant double envelopment attack and something that no normal genin could hope to beat without taking a lot of punishment. Sasuke, however, was not a normal genin by any standards.

The Sharingan wheels spun, analyzing the attack and picking it apart for weaknesses. A split second plan formed in Sasuke's mind and he took it without question.

Sasuke turned into a flying blur headed upwards just as the Kiba duo began their deadly spin. Sasuke felt the wind of their passage below him. Turning in mid air, Sasuke ran through a few lightning fast seals and gathered his chakra. The deadly Gatsuuga sped by beneath him as he let loose his attack. 'Katon, Housenka!'

Balls of plasma fire rained down from on high, pelting the fast moving double fangs. Kiba and Akamaru's spins stopped and they skidded to a stop together, both a bit crisp but otherwise unharmed. Sasuke landed on the other side of the room and turned to view his work. His lip curled in disgust as he saw how little damage his attack had done. 'Their speed combined with the spin of their attack must partly nullify fire damage. Looks like my fire jutus's are out unless I want to burn a lot of my chakra on a Ryuuka no Jutsu or a Karyuu Endan.'

Kiba seemed lost for words. He had known the Uchiha would be a challenge but to be able to avoid his most powerful attack all together hadn't even entered his mind. Akamaru looked uneasily at his master. Gears were spinning fast inside the dog nin's mind as he tried to think of another way to beat his opponent. Unfortunately for him Sasuke thought faster.

With a glance up at his team Sasuke took up his stance again. 'Looks like I'll have to fight fire with fire,' he thought as his hands formed a seal he still wasn't used to using. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Jiriaya smiled as one as the words for the jutsu leapt from the raven haired boy's mouth.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Eyes widened all over the arena as a second, very real, Sasuke appeared next to the first. Whispers of 'Jounin level' and 'Unexpected' could be heard among the older ninja in the crowd. Naruto was grinning from ear to ear in a most disturbing way.

Both Sasuke's smirked as they drew out two kunai each. "Looks like I'll have to fight you on your terms Kiba. Here it comes," they said together.

As a fluid pair the two Sasukes charged. Kiba, seeing his prey charging him as he had just done, called to his clone. "Let's get him!" The Kiba pair ran to meet their opponents.

The distance closed incredibly fast. Kiba and Akamaru went into their spins as they neared but the two Sasuke's continued on without pause, watching the rotation closely. Two pairs of Sharingan eyes spun and a collective "Now!" was yelled. Both Sasukes stopped dead and held out their kunai side on towards their onrushing opponents.

Kiba and Akamaru had split their attention, each one going for a single Sasuke. If they had concentrated on one their attack might have worked but by splitting themselves they sealed their fates.

The whirling fangs came down on the waiting boys and, with a sickening clang and clash, went flying off in opposite directions. Deadly whirls became painful tumbles as both Kibas crashed to the ground beyond their targets. Animal yells of pain could be heard from both. A burst of smoke turned one Kiba into a pathetic lump of red fur.

Even before the two had come to a complete stop Sasuke and his clone were on them, a kunai at each throat and one at each belly.

Hayate noted the way Kiba cradled his hands. His sharp eyes spotting at least six fractures in each hand. Akamaru looked even worse. The dog was trying to curl up into a ball which was impossible at first because of the kunai pricking at him. But after a few seconds a second puff of smoke announced the removal of both the kunai and the clone Sasuke.

Hayate nodded once and raised his arm. "Winner, Uchiha Sasuke!"

* * *

I know it was kinda rushed sounding but I think it was a pretty good battle for a pair that I have no idea how to write together. Sorry to any of you Kiba fans out there. And if this chapter didn't alert you I am changing the line ups for fights. Look forward to it! 

I'm really bad with answering questions I know...but there's one that seems to keep popping up. For all who want to know if Sasuke does have the curse seal I think this chapter answered your question. No he did not receive Oro's present. Jiriaya jumped in and saved them. His presence and the fact that his attack was stopped is the reason why he wasn't present at the beginning of the prelims. It's also part of the reason why Kabuto's team isn't there.


	20. Clash of the Grumps

Hey again everyone. Before I start I'd like to thank Swr-angel-babi3 for my 300th review on this story. Thank you babi and thank you all for helping make this such a great experience. I never imagined I'd get this many reviews. Thank you for supporting me and adding another wonderful reason for me to continue writing.

Moving on, this chapter is a little short, not that they're ever very long. It's just the way I write things. I know lots of people are saying to make the chapters longer. If I have the time I will make them longer but for now there is already enough time between my posts. So here's the next chapter.

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Sasuke was glancing over his shoulder in a disturbed sort of way when he reached his team on the second level. Naruto and Sakura peeped downrange at what Sasuke was looking at and ran smack dab into two of the scariest smiles they'd ever seen. The two beautiful green beasts of Konoha were giving Sasuke a dazzling display of their teeth, eyebrows, and thumbs. An unrepressed shiver ran through both Sakura and Naruto as they saw it and realized that Sasuke had had to pass within inches of that display.

Sasuke turned away from the display with almost no expression. The only thing that revealed his disgust was a minuscule tick in his cheek. But that quickly vanished as he saw the expressions on his teammates faces. A small lopsided smile spread without his knowledge on his face as he saw that they too had caught a portion of that display and were just as disgusted as he was.

The moment passed however and the two green beasts were put out of memory as fast as possible. Sakura smiled sweetly at Sasuke and offered her congratulations while Naruto pounded Sasuke a couple of times on the back and grinned outrageously.

"I really wanted to be the one that pounded that flea brain into the concrete but seeing you do it was almost as good," Naruto said as they stepped towards their teacher. Sasuke didn't exactly like the thumps on the back but he did smile slightly at Naruto's statement. In all honesty he hadn't liked the loud mouth Kiba much either and he had had to endure him longer then Naruto had.

Kakashi's eye curled upward in a smile as they stepped up next to him. "Well done Sasuke," he said simply. It was all he needed to say. Praise from their teacher was sparse as it was so a 'well done' really meant a lot when he said it.

As Kiba was taken off the field by stretcher Sakura voiced a question that had been bothering her. "How did you do it Sasuke-kun? What exactly did you do to Kiba?"

Instead of Sasuke answering however, Kakashi spoke up. "Sasuke used a combination of his Sharingan and his fire jutsu to figure out exactly what Kiba and Akamaru were doing. Their spins are dangerous in an of themselves but adding in their claws is what makes their attack truly dangerous. Their spin negates most ninjutsu so Sasuke had to fight Kiba-kun on his terms, meaning close combat. That clang you heard when they came together was Kiba and Akamaru's claws hitting Sasuke's kunai."

Sakura and several other people close enough to hear the explanation winced at the thought of ramming their fingers into hard steel at such great speed. Naruto only grimaced slightly yet somehow retained his smile too.

But behind the smile Naruto was worried. 'I couldn't have pulled that trick even if I had thought of it. That required speed, accuracy, and timing, all of which I don't have enough of. That sharingan eye is a lot better then I thought. Damn!'

Sakura shook her head in wonder. 'Sasuke-kun is incredible. I've only seen him use his sharingan a couple of times before but never to this extent. He figured out Kiba-kun's attack after just one pass! It took him most of the night to figure out how the Kage Bunshin worked but he beat Kiba in seconds!'

Her eyes glanced away from the boy she admired and loved as the familiar feeling of despair fell upon her. It had been bad enough when it was just the two of them with Kakashi-sensei. Their skill gap was apparent from the start and it had only seemed to widen as the months passed. And then Naruto had shown up. Sakura had been sorely tempted to just let herself slide into that pit of black tar of failure and self loathing that lurked, bubbling and churning, at the back of her mind.

But she hadn't. For some reason Naruto's distaste for her and abilities coupled with his constant work on Sasuke's social mannerisms drove her to forge ahead and leave the tar pit behind. She hadn't understood at the time why it was she was doing this. She had passed it off as wanting to punish Naruto and show him how good girls really were. But by the end of the training week she couldn't use that excuse any more.

She could see the changes Naruto was bringing about in her beloved Sasuke. She could see the changes he was making in Kakashi-sensei, however slight they might be. And she eventually saw the changes the boy was making in her and the rest of the people around her. It was as if his arrival had opened up their little segment of Konoha to the sunlight. He was a breath of fresh air but unlike any air they had tasted before.

He was...well he was something new, something special. By the end of the week she had not only accepted him as a teammate and friend but as something else, something less tangible. She had finally nailed it down on their walk to the first exam. The result had surprised her but there was no denying it. He was cute, friendly, at least once you got passed the rough exterior, he knew his business as a ninja, and, amazingly enough, was willing to change for others. All of it added up to someone that deserved her respect, admiration, and even to her astonishment and partial disgust...her 'girl to guy' attention.

Inner Sakura had raged at her, and still did occasionally, that she was betraying Sasuke-kun. She agreed with her inner self to a degree but Naruto somehow managed to make an impression on her that wouldn't go away.

Oh she wasn't about to give up her goal of getting Sasuke for herself, especially now that Naruto had shown progress could be made on the human glacier, but she had to admit now that there was at least one other guy out there worthy of attention. And if Sakura thought a boy was worthy of partaking of her more feminine side then surely other girls would notice the same thing.

As Sakura pondered on this topic Sasuke's eyes passed over his sole female teammate for the barest of moments as he turned to the handrail. What he saw made his mental eyebrows rise and his eyes make another quick pass just to make sure he hadn't been mistaken. But there was no mistaking that look in Sakura's eyes. Sasuke had seen it countless times from dozens of girls. They had been directed at him and, despite his attempts to ignore them, he had noticed. But for the first time he was seeing Sakura, one of the people who had given him the look the most, giving it to someone else.

The raven haired Uchiha risked a glance in the same direction she was looking and ended up looking at a black jacketed back. He blinked once, then did it again. He wasn't seeing thing. Sakura was giving **Naruto** "the eye".

Something, a big something, began jumping up and down in Sasuke's head and yelling praises to the gods for this small sign, this small hope, that the nightmares would end and he would finally be able to walk down the streets without some girl jumping him ever two blocks. There was also another voice, a tiny but spirited voice, that was announcing it's discontent.

But Sasuke had neither the time nor the interest in listening to either for very long. He shut them out with a small shake of his head and gave Naruto another quick glance. 'You've earned a star in my book Naruto,' Sasuke thought with an inner smirk. 'Just keep it up, whatever you're doing.'

Everyone's attention came back to the score board as names reappeared on the screen. The randomizer whisked through the names for a few seconds before displaying the next two combatants.

**Hyuuga Neji Vs. Kankurou **

The two young men in question spitted each other with quick glances before heading down towards the arena.

Naruto watched Neji go. He recalled his one experience with the Hyuuga boy, before the first exam, in the hall of the school. He hadn't been able to form a really good opinion of him there but what he had seen hadn't endeared him to the blond. His nosiness combined with his ultra thick eyebrowed teammate made Naruto want to avoid him if at all possible simply out of dislike.

Naruto wouldn't have noticed her if he hadn't been looking at Neji. She was the only one not looking at the white eyed boy. As Neji passed her Naruto's interest grew as he saw her finch away and lower her head even further. He scratched his head in confusion. He'd seen her before, with that dog boy and guy who looked kinda like Sasuke, but hadn't caught her name. One thing he did remember though was that she had had some pretty weird eyes.

The blond jerked slightly as it hit him. 'They have the same eyes. So then are they related or something? If they are why isn't she watching him. Why did she flinch as he passed her?'

He shook his head. He couldn't answer those questions by himself. Besides, there were too many and he might forget some of them if he settled down to figure them out one by one. So instead he turned and nudged Kakashi.

"Hey sensei, are those two related?" he asked quietly while pointing at Neji and the purple haired girl.

Kakashi looked where Naruto was pointing and then nodded slightly. "Yeah. They're cousins. Why do you ask?"

Naruto leaned in a bit closer. "Cause she's acting kinda strange. She flinched as that Neji guy walked by her. Does she not like him or something?"

Kakashi's eye hardened slightly at Naruto's observations and he didn't answer for a moment. When he did it wasn't what Naruto wanted to hear. "I'll explain it to you later. Just focus on the match."

Naruto 'humphed', crossed his arms, and turned back towards the floor where the two combatants were now facing off.

Hayate glanced between the two of them before speaking. "The second match will now start. Hyuuga Neji versus Kankurou." He stepped back and nodded sharply. "Begin."

Kankurou grinned as he unslung the strange wrapped item on his back and brought it thudding down next to him. "You ready you white eyed freak? I'm not about to hold back on you," Kankurou said in a mocking tone.

Neji smirked evilly and closed his eyes. Those who knew what to expect smiled secret smiles or shook their heads slightly. The Sand boy was taking Neji far to lightly.

Veins throbbed and chakra flowed as Neji activated his Byakugan eyes and glared back at his opponent. Kankurou twitched slightly as the eyes centered themselves on him. He suddenly felt totally naked, like he was being examined under a magnifying glass. Shoving the disturbing thought away the sand nin gave Neji a confident smile while tilting his head at a jaunty angle.

"Heh, think you can scare me with those freak eyes of yours? Guess again."

Neji continued to glare at him, seemingly unaware that he had been spoken to. Without a word the Hyuuga boy charged straight in.

Kankurou smirked in triumph as Neji approached, thinking he had managed to lure his opponent in. But that smile faltered when he saw the disgusted smirk of a victor appear on Neji's face.

With speed that only half the people in the room could follow Neji swerved and attacked the bundle next to the sand ninja. A lightning fast strike to the center of the bundle and it was done. Neji stepped away and simply stared as his opponent fell forward in a confused heap that sounded decidedly wooden. People gawked as Kankurou's legs, arms, and head twisted in ways no normal human could ever achieve.

Jaws dropped all over the room. Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the Hyuuga boy and yelled a question at his sensei. "What the hell? He didn't even hit him! How'd he do that?"

Naruto's question was partly answered as an arm ripped through the fabric wrappings of the package Neji had struck. Eyebrows quirked as the wrappings fell apart to reveal...Kankurou?!

The sand boy was clutching at his chest in agony as he rolled out of the cloth. He wheezed a couple times before looking up at his opponent. "How did you...wheeze...how did you see through...wheeze cough...Karasu?"

"Karasu? A puppet?" Sakura wondered out loud. She squinted, trying to get a better look at the 'thing' that was lying in a heap. A startled gasp escaped the pink haired girl's lips as she saw that it was indeed a puppet. Paint was beginning to chip away all over the thing and it's eyes and mouth looked really strange now for some reason.

Kakashi grunted. "Hmm. So he's a puppeteer. Unfortunately that didn't help him."

Team Seven looked up at their sensei for an explanation. The Jounin nodded towards Neji. "That boy's eyes, the Byakugan, can see through just about anything. They're another type of blood limit, much like the Sharingan." Sasuke glanced down in new interest at the pale eyed boy below. "The Byakugan can also see the chakra pathways within an opponent's body, something even the Sharingan can't do. He used that along with his families fighting style to cut off the chakra flow to Kankurou's arms. Without his arms a puppeteer is useless."

Naruto and Sakura opened their mouths to ask for clarification but Kakashi cut them off. "I'll explain more later." Both of the genin glared at their teacher and turned back to catch the last of Neji's short explanation he was giving to his fallen opponent.

"It was meant to be this way. The moment you were chosen as my opponent your fate was decided. You could not win." Neji turned to the judge. "It's over."

Hayate looked at Kankurou for a moment, saw the defeat and resignation in his eyes, and nodded his approval.

"Winner, Hyuuga Neji."

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I know I changed things in a major way here. Hinata and Neji's fight was one of the three big ones and one that also affected the storyline quite a bit but I've got other things planned for Hinata. Plus I've never liked neji's attitude so I decided to give the jerk a short, sweet battle to get him out of the way. Actually both Kankurou and Neji have pretty foul dispositions. Thus the title 


	21. Why does it always have to be girls?

Wow it has been a while. School's started back up and boy is it punishing. I don't think I've ever seen so much homework in the first week of school EVER. And I don't even have all my books yet!!! Oh well. Hope you enjoy.

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Naruto glanced at the purple haired girl quickly as Neji walked back up the stairs to return to his team. She was obviously still tense. Her knuckles were white which meant she was gripping the iron rail hard. Her breathing was a little ragged and her eyes kept glancing back and forth between her cousin and his former opponent. As Neji passed her shoulders hunched forward almost imperceptibly as if expecting a blow. Once he had passed her however her grip slackened and her eyes stopped their jittery movement. Her breathing returned to normal and Naruto could have sworn she grew an inch. 

The blond looked away and crinkled his brow in thought. He had no real idea why the girl acted like she did. Maybe she was simply scared. Whatever the reason though Naruto wanted to know why she acted like she did around Neji. He made a mental note to catch the girl and ask her about it after the exam was finished.

The electronic score board came back to life and flipped through the names until it stopped on the next two unlucky fighters.

**Tenten Vs. Kin**

Two girls Naruto vaguely remembered from before the first exam stepped forward and confronted each other. Naruto was more concerned with saving his hearing though then watching them fight. Both of the super eyebrows had launched into a bout of yelling support for their teammate. It's volume was punishing enough but when one considered the terminology used by the two green fighters volume took a back seat. Naruto would have gladly cut off his ears after just a minute of the stuff but he decided that it would eventually stop and that he would eventually need his ears again. So he gritted his teeth and tried not to yell. The blond also noticed that the rest of his team, even his sensei, were trying desperately to block out the mind numbing yells.

The battle that followed was not incredibly impressive but very long compared to previous fights. Both girls favored weapons over actual jutsu which made them uninteresting to both Naruto and Sasuke.

After nearly ten minutes the fight ended in a draw. Both girls had collapsed in exhaustion and from loss of blood. The amount of weapons strewn about the floor or lodged in walls or bodies was truly amazing. Naruto didn't even realize a ninja, let alone two, could carry so many weapons. He really shouldn't have been surprised since he himself knew how to multiply shuriken and kunai with his Kage Bunshin training. Tenten had done something similar with a scroll at one point in the battle which had been the high point in the battle for Naruto. Flashy jutsu, especially ones with lots of smoke involved, was always something Naruto enjoyed.

The girls were carried out on stretchers and the floor was cleaned of weapons before the scoreboard once again announced a pairing.

**Yamanaka Ino Vs. Temari**

Sakura gave her rival a glare as the blond made her way down to the floor. Ino grinned smugly as she passed and stopped next to Sasuke.

"You'll cheer me on won't you Sasuke-kun?" She asked in what she thought was a cute voice. Sasuke grunted and rolled his eyes in disgust. Ino apparently thought it was good enough and continued on her way, now with an added skip to her step.

Temari was already waiting. The sand nin's lip had turned upward as she'd seen her opponent for the first time. The thought of fighting a girly girl did not sit well with the brash young Sand ninja. Ino's actions on her way down to the floor only made Temari hate her even more. 'Still,' Temari thought with a mental snort, 'a girl so worried about her looks should be an easy mark for me.'

Hayate nodded once both girls had faced off. "Yamanaka Ino vs Temari. Let the fourth match begin."

Ino grinned. 'No sense in prolonging this fight. I'll just end it now," she thought as she brought her hands together in a strange seal.

Temari gripped her fan which was still in her waist band. 'That seal...what is she up too?'

Temari never knew what hit her. Ino spoke her jutsu out loud, "Ninpou, Shintenshin no Jutsu", and then abruptly collapsed.

To the crowd it looked as if Ino's jutsu had somehow failed. Those who knew better were already shaking their heads in amusement or disgust. Temari apparently didn't mind her opponent falling over suddenly. The girl didn't even look like she'd noticed. Her head had lowered, shading her eyes, and her hand had come away from her fan. She appeared about as lifeless as Ino did at the moment except for the fact that she remained standing.

After several suspenseful seconds Temari's head rose along with her hand. The confusion grew as her hand rose until it was quite high in the air. What she meant to do was beyond everyone but those who knew Ino. Even excluding the few who knew the long haired blond the reaction to Temari's next words was loud.

"I give up."

The loudest yell came from Temari's brother Kankurou. He flew forward, almost falling over the rail, and yelled his lungs out. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TEMARI?!" The less vocal of the crowd muttered confused 'what's and 'why in the world's. Naruto was scratching his head vigorously. This odd twist in the fight had confused him to no end. It made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever.

Sakura saw his confusion and explained it to him. "Ino's family has a special bloodline ability that allows them to invade and take over another person's mind and body. Ino "left" her own body and took over that sand girl's so she could make her surrender. She's done it to me once or twice but it never works very well for some reason. Do you get it?"

Naruto was still scratching his head but he was nodding as well. "Yeah I guess that would kinda explain it. What a weird technique." He threw up his hands. "Just one more reason girls are weird."

The blond realized the moment the words left his mouth that he had said the wrong thing. He backed away from Sakura quickly, stuttering out an apology before the pink haired girl could react. Sakura reigned in her anger and simply gave him a glare.

"Ugh, never mind Naruto. Just don't say stuff like that again. Don't worry. I won't hit you."

Naruto lowered his hands and slid back towards his team. "You sure Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes flashed and her fist came down hard on his head. "Baka. I just said that so I didn't have to chase you. Now sit still and don't say anything else stupid."

Naruto humped as a lump appeared on his head but did as he was told. 'Girls,' he decided, 'are definitely not human. More along the lines of devils I think. '

Below them Hayate was giving the fight to Ino. As soon as the ref chopped his hand down Temari collapsed as well. At nearly the same moment Ino began to stir on the floor.

It took Ino about a minute to rise again. When she did it was with a smug smile. Her opponent took a little while longer to rise. Temari stumbled to her feet with a dazed look on her face and even asked out loud what had happened. Her brother provided the answer for her.

"YOU SURRENDERED YOU STUPID ASS OF A SISTER! YOU GAVE UP!"

Temari would have yelled back if the statement had made any sense to her. As it was she just opened and closed her mouth a bit then looked at the ref who nodded, answering her unspoken question. Temari turned to glare at Ino who simply smiled and turned to leave. "Sorry girlfriend," she said, waving a hand above her head as she headed off towards the stairs, "but I won fair and square."

Temari fumed but remained silent. She entertained the thought of attacking the girl just to get revenge but thought better of it. She'd get her chance soon enough she knew. When that time came she'd search that blond hussy out and make her pay for what she'd done.

Sakura gave Ino a similar glare as the blond returned to their side of the arena. Ino, seeing the look of doom Sakura was giving her, promptly latched herself to Sasuke's back and stuck out her tongue at her rival. Before Sasuke could shove her off or Sakura could punch her off Naruto intervened.

"That was really something Ino-san," Naruto said, smiling.

The blond girl blinked and hesitated for a second before giving Naruto a smile. This boy she barely knew was smiling and complementing her and she could barely remember his name.

"Uh, thank you um, Naruto-kun," Ino said as she detached herself from the raven haired boy's back and gave bowed slightly. "It was pretty good wasn't it?"

Ino trotted off to rejoin her team leaving Sasuke and Sakura in awe. Naruto had defused a potential Ino/Sakura confrontation and gotten her off Sasuke's back. Naruto just smiled, thinking nothing of it, and turned back to the screen as it blinked to life again. If Sakura or Sasuke could have read each other's thoughts at that exact moment they would have found that they were quite similar. Both were along the lines of 'What else can this guy do?'

The screen was yet again running through the, now much shorter, list of names. Seconds later it spit out the next pairing.

**Haruno Sakura Vs. Nara Shikamaru**

Shikamaru groaned. "How troublesome. Why does it have to be a girl?" He glanced at Sakura and sighed.

Naruto pointed at Shikamaru as he passed them on his way towards the stairs. "You can beat him Sakura. He's a lazy bum."

Sakura smiled at his comment and followed her adversary down to the arena level. On the inside however she wasn't as confident. She was a lot smarter and more knowledgeable then most people knew. She'd taken a look at each major family blood line in Konoha and had memorized each's know, or at least generally know, abilities.

So despite Naruto's words of encouragement Sakura found she was quite nervous. She knew her opponent and knew, in layman's terms, what he was capable of. The Nara clan was one of Konoha's smaller families but their techniques were quite good. Shadows, after all, were everywhere.

Sakura and the black haired boy stopped a few paces away from each other and sized each other up as Hayate stepped up next to them. Sakura's mind was working in overdrive to figure out a strategy as Hayate spoke.

"Haruno Sakura vs Nara Shikamaru. Let the fifth match...begin."

The referee stood back, expecting the battle to begin, but found that the two opponents were quite content to stand there and stare each other up. Sakura was still thinking hard, formulating plans, thinking out strategies, and weighing what she knew about his abilities against her own experience and range of techniques. Shikamaru was doing the same only with much less information to go on. The legendary slacker hadn't ever bothered to get to know Sakura. He knew her as a know-it-all and that was about it.

Seconds stretched out into a full minute as their eyes remained locked on each other. The room had dropped into total silence when Hayate had dropped his hand. Even Ino was silent, for once not yelling out support or issuing orders to her lazy compatriot.

Quietness dripped from the ceiling. It beaded on the iron guardrails, and formed small pools on the floor. Watching eyes strained to see the first moment. Ears stretched to catch the smallest sound.

Two minutes passed. By now Naruto's patience was stretching thin. The silence and anticipation was getting to him. Even Sasuke was getting a little unnerved. Sakura wasn't normally like this. He'd never seen her still intense before.

The stillness was broken quite suddenly. Both combatants moved in one fluid motion, each leaping backwards to gain some distance. So sudden were their movements in fact that several people jumped slightly.

Landing almost in unison with each other the two genin began forming seals. Shikamaru's shadow snaked forward in the blink of an eye. Sakura countered, forming a shadow clone and leaving it there while she jumped away. Too late Shikamaru realized what was happening. His shadow snagged the clone and held it fast. As the shadow caught hold Sakura ended her jump and threw a shuriken, aiming for Shikamaru's head.

The shadow ninja moved quickly, managing to take his body out of the line of fire and bring the clone's body into line to take the blow. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke as the shuriken sliced through it.

Thus freed from the clone Shikamaru sent his shadow after Sakura once again. Sakura reacted by firing off another shuriken and flipping away quickly. Shikamaru dodged the flying missile but lost enough of his concentration for his shadow to shrink back into itself.

They paused for a moment to gauge each other and their positions.

The hokage chuckled softly and made a comment to Jiriaya. "It's a chess match."

Jiriaya nodded sagely. "It's more a battle of minds then anything else that's for sure," he muttered back.

The other Leaf genin were watching spellbound as the match unfolded. Naruto was grinning, quite pleased with himself for thinking of sharing his skills with his friends. He hadn't expected Sakura to pick up the Kage Bunshin so quickly. She had, in fact, managed it on her third try. She hadn't had enough chakra at the time to keep practicing it but that didn't seem to make a difference for her.

It was Sakura who made the next move. She formed two more clones and charged, each of the Sakuras weaving in and out around each other to confuse their target. Shikamaru took out and threw his own Shuriken now, throwing one at each of the pink haired ninjas. Using them as a distraction he threw his shadow forward once again.

The three Sakuras, too busy dodging the shuriken and trying to maintain their weaving pattern, didn't see the shadow coming until it was too late. Shikamaru caught one. The caught Sakura's sudden stop threw the other two into confusion. They stopped in amazement then darted off in opposite directions.

Shikamaru released the Sakura he'd caught within seconds and quickly went after another of the girls. He threw a kunai at the one he'd just released to distract her for a second while he reformed and sent out his shadow again. The two Sakuras, now moving in sync with each other, allowed the one closest to the shadow nin to be caught. With one caught the other had time to pull out an exploding note kunai and launch it towards Shikamaru. The missile dispersed the caught Sakura clone as it passed through her and detonated on the far side, right where Shikamaru was standing.

Only the boy wasn't there.

Shikamaru had released the clone bare seconds after he'd caught it and dodged away towards the currently unengaged Sakura he'd caught earlier. The exploding kunai hit empty space, filling the air with fire and small metallic pieces. The explosion dazzled the Sakura Shikamaru had caught earlier which gave the boy enough time to stick a kunai into her abdomen.

Eyes widened in shock and dismay as they saw the kunai sink deep but shock turned to amazement when that Sakura exploded in smoke leaving Shikamaru standing there alone.

The two fighters turned and eyed each other through the dissipating smoke from the explosion. Both were breathing hard as fatigue began to take it's toll on them. Neither had ever had much chakra to burn in the first place. If the fight wasn't decided soon they would both be out of energy. But neither of them knew that the other was having the same problem so they both put up a front and carried on.

There was a general sense of amazement with a dash of disbelief and new found respect circulating among the spectators. The jounin and chuunin had all found Sakura's use of the Kage Bunshin to be a great surprise but that had quickly died out as the moves and countermoves of the match drew them in. The genin, especially those from Konoha, were infinitely more surprised then their superiors. Only Chouji and Ino knew of Shikamaru's potential and likewise only Naruto and Sasuke knew of Sakura's. It was a common fact that Sakura had been a first rate student in academy but no one had suspected her of possessing such tactical skill and jounin level jutsu. People had passed her off as a smart but overly image conscience girl.

But more surprising still was the energy, skill, and combat prowess of Nara Shikamaru. The slacker extra ordinaire had never shown any great skill or ability. In fact he went out of his way to avoid such "troublesome" things as work or effort.

But now, now they both appeared to be in their element. It was indeed like watching a chess game in action. It was cold, calculated, and impersonal. Each move evoked a planned counter move from the other which in turn produced another equally planned out move. 'It's not just like watching any old game,' Kakashi thought with a smile tugging at his mouth, 'it's like watching a game of between masters.'

Sakura tried to bring her breathing back under control. So far every plan and strategy she'd thought of had been countered and beaten. True she'd done the same for most of his but that didn't count. She needed to win and to do that she needed to do something totally off the wall. Something he'd never expect. But what could she do that would fool this unassuming opponent?

The pink haired girl grasped at her side as her muscles complained. 'Whether I win this or not I've definitely got to get in better shape then I am now,' Sakura thought. 'But if I don't win I can't show Sasuke how much I've improved, how much I've tried to better myself for him...'

Her inner tirade ground to a halt as the thought of Sasuke sparked a neuron deep within her mind. An image from the previous day leapt to the forefront of her mind. Naruto's jutsu trade! It just might work.

Sakura's hands began to form seals before she'd even truly formulated a plan. It was risky to the extreme and if she missed she was done for. Not to mention the fact that she'd never even performed the jutsu before, but that was beside the point. Her hands formed the last seal and her chest expanded, her mouth sucking in as much air as it could. She had the pleasure of seeing Shikamaru's eyes go wide in confusion and horror as her back arched, allowing every corner of her lungs to be filled.

Throwing the last of her chakra into the effort Sakura concentrated, sighted, and released.

An arrow of white hot fire, no more then a foot wide all around, flew from her mouth at blistering speed. It was a variation on the Karyuu Endan that only someone with perfect control could have accomplished. The concentration of fire so tight, the accuracy dead on, and the amount of chakra used so small yet so perfectly controlled and focused that it did the same amount of work as a much larger but sloppier version would have done.

Shikamaru knew as he saw her form the last seal that he was in trouble. But for some reason his body simply didn't want to move. Was it fear? Or perhaps it was the sheer impossibility of her performing a fire element jutsu now, after they'd worn each other down so far. Whatever the reason he simply couldn't find the power to move.

He saw her rear back, taking that enormous breath, then pitch forward. Her lips pursed just so, funneling the fire so exquisitely, perfectly aimed...straight at his chest.

Shikamaru's reflexes kicked in as the bolt of fire with his name on it roared to meet him. He did the only thing he could do. He dropped and dove.

Sakura dropped to her knees as the last chakra mixed air left her lungs. The burning sensation it left behind was like no other she'd felt before. She greedily sucked in air, ignorant as to the effect her jutsu had had on her opponent.

Shikamaru realized he hadn't reacted fast enough to totally avoid it. It was going to hurt, the back of his mind told him, in the split second before the bolt of fire reached him. The edge passed inches away from his right shoulder. The distance had little effect, the heat boiling off the white flame did almost as much damage as it would have done if it had actually hit. The two layers of clothing between his skin and the heat simply ceased to be. It peeled back the cloth nearly to his neck line and half way down his arm. His skin turned black and crisped in an instant. Luckily for him the heat neatly fried the pain receptors in the worst areas. His whole right side burned in pain but from his lower neck to his elbow he pretty much felt nothing. That fact allowed him to finish the match.

He scrambled to his knees as quickly as possible, ignoring as best he could his whole right side, and formed his seal. His shadow reached out and covered the distance between him and his still unknowing opponent in a moment. But instead of simply snagging her the shadow wound it's way up her body, its end forming into a clawed hand as it circled her neck and began to apply pressure.

Sakura gasped in shock at she felt her throat constricting. Her head flew up and she saw what was happening. Before she could even think of doing anything however her vision blurred and she collapsed in a mix of exhaustion and loss of oxygen to the brain.

The moment she went down Shikamaru released his hold on her and canceled his jutsu.

Hayate didn't miss a beat. Seeing Sakura go down for the count with Shikamaru still up and in control he raised his hand and then pointed to the black haired ninja.

"Winner, Nara SHikamaru."

Shikamaru managed a lopsided smile before falling over on his good side. A nearly inaudible grunt came from his lips, two very familiar words.

"How troublesome."

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Sorry I kinda glossed over the Kin/Tenten fight but I didn't feel it was very important. Then there was the Temari/Ino fight. I really love Temari, she's my favorite female character in the series, but I wanted a change up so she had to take a hit. Sorry people. And of course there was the last match. Hehehe...Shikamaru is my all time fave guy in the series but I felt he needed a bit more of a challenge. And for all of you who don't read the manga the finishing move he used was something called Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu Shadow neck cantry. It comes in much later...yeah I know it's a spoiler. Sorry. But after I mapped it out I figured I had to give him a power boost for this fight. It's longer too. And please forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes. I didn't want to go through it just now...I need sleep. But I felt you guys deserved a new chapter. 


	22. Opposites Redux

Alright, enough of you have bothered me about this story that i'm doing something about it. I've reposted this chapter in its complete form. Hope you enjoy.

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A collective gasp was heard among the Leaf ninja above the fighting arena. The final moments of the fight between Shikamaru and Sakura had been...intense...to say the least. Breaths that had been unknowingly held were suddenly released as everyone realized that it was over. Shikamaru's team was cringing at the sight of their teammate's awful burn. Naruto noted that the fat boy actually looked physically sick while Ino seemed like she couldn't manage to pull her eyes away from either of the fighters. Her pale blue eyes were wider then normal and her breath seemed to be ragged and quick.

Medical nins jumped out onto the field and hoisted each of the fallen combatants onto a stretcher and took them off the field through the huge door at the far end of the room. Once they were gone the amazed tension in the room finally slackened to a point that was tolerable.

As the two young nins were taken off the field Naruto smiled inwardly. There were only a few people left to fight and only half of those looked like they would be somewhat of a match. Naruto was sure he could beat Dosu since he'd seen it done before. He'd beaten Lee before but their fight had been cut short last time so Naruto hadn't gotten to see the bowl cut boy's best. Hinata just didn't seem like the fighting type and he didn't think Choji really had a chance against anyone. That left the sand boy and the silent collar guy from dog boy's team. He didn't know much about either but that had never really mattered to him. He liked punching first and asking questions later.

The judge stepped forward once again as the screen above him blinked to life. "I will announce the sixth match," he stated flatly with a cough thrown in for good measure.

The names flashed and eyes became yet again glued to the screen. Naruto tensed. A tickle down the back of his spine told him he was being stared at. A quick glance across the room confirmed the feeling. The red haired sand boy was staring at him unblinkingly. In the second or two Naruto locked eyes with him he got the distinct impression that something about the smaller boy was decidedly evil and unnatural; as if there were actually two sets of eyes peering through one.

A loud beep from the direction of the board pulled Naruto's attention away from the disturbing green eyes and the names he saw instantly put all thought of the boy out of his mind. His name was there, bold and bright. But the name accompanying his was one he hadn't expected to see. His shoulders slumped a bit in disappointment as he read the name again and felt his excitement start to ebb away as he realized that his dreams of an incredible match had just been blown away.

The name below his was Hyuuga Hinata.

Hinata felt her heart plummet into her belly as she saw the name of the person she was going to face. Of all the people besides her cousin and Shino he was the one she wanted to face least. She'd met him bare weeks ago and she had already developed a strange liking for him. He'd had the courage to stand up to her teammate Kiba and had been confident and bold in every situation she'd seen him in. Maybe it was because he was so different. Because he embodied the things that she wished fervently for; strength, ability, and confidence. She'd snuck out to see Team Seven practice the day after she'd first seen him walking with Sakura. She'd been impressed with his skill but most of all by the way he moved. His body movements were confident and powerful in a way she knew hers would never be.

Despite her liking for him she knew the reason for her plummeting heart wasn't his good looks. His power and endurance had left her breathless after her observations that day. He could take punishment and use massive amounts of chakra and still have energy and reserves to burn. She knew beyond a doubt that she had no chance against him at range. And even if he came in close she doubted she could match his speed and hitting power. Even with her families signature taijutsu style she doubted she'd last two minutes against him.

The familiar feeling of worthlessness crept into her thoughts and drove the little bit of confidence she'd had in a good match firmly out of her.

So it was that both of them made their way silently down to the floor. Naruto's jaw was firmly set. He knew he was going to win, he just didn't like winning against such a weak opponent and a girl at that. The only girl he'd fought so far had been Sakura. He'd gained respect for her as a fighter but still thought of girls in general as weak and not worth fighting. His interest in Hinata's strange behavior and the fact that he'd been impressed with the little bit of Neji's style he'd seen were the only reasons he wasn't yelling and grumping about having to fight the little purple haired girl.

Hinata in turn was wallowing in her misfortune and self pity. Her fingers were intertwined with each other high on her chest. Her eyes were glued to the floor and refused to look up as the two of them took their spots facing each other with Hayate between and off to the side a bit.

Above them Kurenai and the Hokage were thinking similar thoughts. They both knew that the two fighters below were on totally opposite ends of the spectrum where personality and outwardness were concerned. Needless to say they both worried.

But Kurenai had a bit more information on the shy girl then the Hokage did. She knew Hinata had developed a bit of a crush on the hyperactive blond over the past few weeks. She was normally skittish around guys; adding a crush to her already shy nature then throwing her and that crush into a confrontation was almost too painful to think about.

Kakashi and Jiriaya were grimacing as well but were thinking more about Naruto then Hinata. Kakashi had seen how much trouble Naruto had with girls in the week or so he'd known the boy and didn't like what his knowledge combined with this match was adding up to.

Jiriaya, on the other hand, was far past just a grimace. He was developing a full blown headache. He had hoped beyond hope that Naruto wouldn't be paired off against a girl. The old man just could not understand his pupil's dislike for the other sex. Sure his sensei was a bit of a perv but weren't kids supposed to follow in their rolemodel's or sensei's footsteps? Girls were one matter though. Female shinobi were on a whole other level and that was why Jiriaya was developing a pain behind his eyes.

Naruto stared at the girl in front of him. Her total lack of eye contact and submissive body language was starting to get on his nerves, and the match hadn't even started yet. He had no idea how he was supposed to handle someone like this. Hinata just looked so damn innocent to him! The only sign that she was a ninja was the leaf head plate hung around her neck and the weapon pouch strapped to her leg and that just wasn't enough for Naruto. A fighter was supposed to be a lion not a kitten.

Hayate looked between the two of them and spoke. "Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata. Let the sixth match begin."

Silence dropped down around them again after the ref stopped speaking. The quiet was only broken by the occasional shuffle of Hinata's nervous feet. After thirty seconds of this Hayate became impatient. "What's wrong? Please begin."

Hinata jumped slightly at his voice and gave him a short pleading look before lowering her eyes to stare at Naruto's feet.

Naruto grumbled a bit then spoke up. "Are we going to fight Hinata-san?" It was a stupid question to ask in a tournament Naruto knew, but with Hinata he felt he had to ask.

Hinata's hands twisted together faster and her eyes rose a bit along with the blood in her cheeks. "H-Hai."

The blond nodded and tensed. "Then quit screwing around and fight."

Hinata jumped again and hesitated a bit before taking up a basic gentle fist stance, signifying that she was ready, but her body language screamed nervousness and unease. Several people up in the crowd groaned inwardly as they saw her pitiful attempt at a stance.

But if Naruto saw her unwillingness to fight he didn't show it because he came in at her seconds after she'd formed her stance. He came in fast and hard with a fist cocked back, ready to let fly. Hinata's eyes took on a terrified look as he attacked. She barely managed to block his first attack and fell back before the rest of his attack sequence, only turning aside the shots she couldn't duck or slip away from.

Naruto abruptly stopped and backed off looking throughly disgusted about something. As soon as Hinata saw that Naruto wasn't about to attack her again she dropped her combat stance and stepped back into her nervousness full time. The sight of his opponent retreating back into herself only made Naruto look more disgusted.

The balconies were strangely silent now yet just about all of the gennin and younger chuunin and jounin were itching to yell something, anything, to get the purple haired girl to drop her act and get on with the fight. But for some unknown reason each of them reigned their comments in and kept their mouths shut.

Unfortunately Hinata didn't need to hear their yells. The silence from above was just as bad because she knew they were all staring at her. The feeling of their eyes on her back were, to her, louder then words. She blushed and cringed slightly under their invisible weight. Naruto saw the almost invisible flinch and turned a quick glare upwards at the watchers above before speaking again.

"Hinata-san. I won't fight you unless you stop what you're doing and face me like you mean it."

Naruto's voice was flat and as free of the emotions raging inside him as he could make it. It cut like a knife through Hinata's nervousness and drained her face of blood leaving it starkly pale even by her normal standards. Naruto had just laid down the law and was looking at her like he expected an answer.

Hinata stared.

Naruto spoke again. "And I'm not going to just walk out. I expect a fight so I'm gonna wait if I have to till you're willing to fight me like you really mean it. GOT IT!" The last words were a drastic departure from the flatness. He closed his eyes and emptied his lungs in one huge yell.

Hinata stared some more. She looked almost like she'd turned to stone there on the floor of the arena. Her large pale eyes hadn't left him since he had spoken and had barely blinked at all. In fact they seemed like the only parts of her body that were moving. No one could even tell if she was breathing.

Finally her lips parted and a whisper of a word came out. "I don't think I can."

Now it was Naruto's turn to blink and stare. "Whadya mean you don't think you can? If you can't give it you're all then why did you enter this exam in the first place?" Naruto had gone from in control to totally confused in a matter of seconds. This girl in front of him, from what he was gathering right now, had no motivation to speak of and no sense of worth. This clashed so strongly with Naruto's idea of a ninja that he could not mix the two. It left him, for lack of a better term, profoundly mixed up.

The blond scratched at his head and asked her again. "Why are you here? Don't you have a goal or something?" Naruto had an idea and clapped his hands together. "Or did you just come along for the ride with your teammates?"

The Hyuuga girl took a sharp breath as Naruto spoke. What he was saying was so shocking she couldn't help it. It was true she hadn't exactly wanted to do this but for the sake of her teammates had agreed since they couldn't take the exams without her.

But there had been another reason as well. Hinata was passive by nature, and hated that fact dearly. She didn't like being walked on and cast aside by her father and other clan members. She didn't like the fact that she fidgeted and started at the slightest mention of her name in another's presence. She didn't like the fact that she wasn't good at her family's taijutsu style and that she didn't have the heart to be the heir to Konoha's top clan. Yet the thought of trying to change that scared her enough that it effectively negated the desire to change. She was living at an impasse.

But this exam had finally offered her what she thought might be a chance to change all of that. She clung to the desperate hope that, if she could get through the exam, that the action would open up inside her some invisible barrier or provide some impetus for her to change herself.

Naruto could see the nervousness warring with something else inside those pale white eyes. He could see that something deep within wanted to rise to his challenge, to refute his words, and to kick a little ass. This Naruto could work with, this he had seen before.

Jiriaya had looked like this a few times when Naruto had tried to weasel a technique or something else important out of him that he wasn't fully willing to give up. Naruto knew from experience that if there was even the faintest glimmer of doubt in someone's eyes that he could press the issue and make that feeling grow. He could push and poke and nudge the feeling along with clever counter arguments or sneaky self serving comments that would often get a rise out of his subject and make their own arguments weaker against his own. It was a skill long practiced on the streets of towns across the five countries. Naruto had gotten many a free morsel or trinket out of his efforts. And while Hinata was not selling anything he knew the same principle still applied.

Naruto smiled in a way only he could. "So you've got a bit of a confidence problem," he said, suddenly twirling a kunai around one of his fingers, "but so what?" The spinning stopped and he gestured up at the audience behind him with his thumb. "Ignore those guys up there. They're not part of this fight. All you have to worry about is me Hinata-san. Personally I could care less about what those people up there think of my fight." Naruto blushed inwardly at his little lie. He would care, he would just care later.

The blond boy continued. "One on one like this your team doesn't matter. Kick them and whoever else is worrying you out of your head and focus on me."

Hinata blushed a bit at that comment. Focusing on Naruto wasn't difficult, it was just that when she focused on him it wasn't a fighting focus. But she tried it anyway.

Naruto saw her eyes steady. They no long drifted off or glanced upwards. Now they seemed to be locked somewhere around his feet. And while he would much rather have her focusing on his face his feet were a definite improvement. Naruto stepped into his next point.

"Now kick yourself out too."

Hinata's confused eyes suddenly jumped from his feet to his face. "Wha...what?"

"Drop kick yourself, the worried part of yourself, strait out of your head. Forget about how bad you've done in the past and ignore the thoughts on how you think this'll turn out. Do that and you can fight me. Focus on beating me and beating me only. Nothin else."

Naruto suddenly felt really, really stupid. He'd never given anyone a pep talk before but he suddenly felt like he had. But even worse was the fact that he was trying to talk someone into fighting him. He'd insulted and teased people into fights but never talked someone into one. 'I hope this doesn't come back and bite me in the ass,' he thought sullenly.

Pale eyes dropped back down to stare again at her opponent's feet. She'd heard similar speeches from her father and sensei many times before and had never been able to manage what they told her to do. But hearing it from someone her own age, someone she liked and respected and was supposed to be fighting right now, seemed to be different. She closed her eyes and sought out her focus again. One by one she blocked out the voices or images of others in her head, blocked out the memories of their faces or their words until only Naruto and herself remained. Then she tried to get rid of herself as well.

She dredged up all she had learned as a ninja and cut out all the emotion from it. How badly she'd done or how disappointed her teachers or fellow genin had been. Then she began to filter in what she'd seen of Naruto and began the process again. She cut out all the thoughts that had run through her head about how cute he was or how incredibly powerful he looked. Suddenly she found her mind working out his moves, analyzing them for weaknesses and meshing them with her own abilities strengths and weaknesses.

A small part of her brain watched in detached wonder as the rest of her mind, now completely devoid of anything but the fight, began to run as smoothly as the best well oiled engine she'd ever seen.

Naruto's smile reappeared in full force when the pale white eyes of his opponent suddenly reopened and locked on his own. The determination and focus that had been missing before were now all that was left. They were hard and calculating, just as a ninja's should be.

People up above noticed as well. Anyone who knew the young girl below was rendered speechless at the sight of this completely new Hinata. Neji was probably the most surprised. He'd watched his cousin for many years now, waiting and hoping for a match with her so he could grind her face into the dust. He knew what she was like in combat, knew how utterly worthless she was against anyone tougher then a sparring log, and knew that she had hardly managed to master her own families basic techniques. So when the ice in her stare had registered in his mind it was almost rejected as outright impossible.

Naruto on the other hand couldn't have been more excited. He slammed his kunai wielding fist into his open palm. "Alright! That's more like it! Now you're ready to kick a little ass!"

Hinata didn't answer. Her hands were moving through a quick series of seals that ended in a fist with a single finger raised. Her eyes pulsed and veins throbbed into life around them. Naruto's smiled turned almost wicked as he recognized the same Byakugan eyes that Neji had shown earlier. Her stance shifted into a more sturdy version of her original combat stance, left foot forward with left hand raised palm outward and right hand tucked in next to her body.

Naruto crouched down and shifted his kunai over to his left hand. His right hand settled itself over his weapon holster, popping it open for easy access.

Now it was the calm before the storm. The fight was beginning in earnest. Not and eye blinked in the entire room as the two warriors waited for the other to make a move.

Never one to wait long, Naruto made the first move. His hand flashed out, several shuriken darting out towards his opponent. He charged after them as if hellbent on attacking Hinata with his skull alone.

White eyes flashed. Muscles firmly ingrained with the correct responses suddenly leapt into action for the first time. Skilled eyes directed hands to intercept and catch the flying missiles then return them from whence they'd come.

Metal met metal as Naruto's kunai knocked aside the returning metal stars. As soon as the last of them had been redirected the kunai disappeared back into it's holster to free up Naruto's hands. He could see Hinata's minute adjustments in stance as he rocketed towards her, adjusting herself to his attack as best she could. But Naruto had no intention of letting her set up for him. With a surge of focused chakra Naruto made a phenomenal flip right over her head.

Hinata saw the large amount of chakra suddenly directed towards his legs with her eyes and guessed his intention. It was a good move, meant to keep her off balance and unable to set herself against an attack. Using one against a Hyuuga however wasn't always successful. She simply turned as he flew overhead and adjusted for an attack from the other direction.

Naruto grinned as he saw her begin to adjust as he flew overhead. His move had been anticipated, but the two smoke bombs he dropped while flying overhead weren't. A cloud of thick purple smoke erupted around Hinata as he hit the ground running. A quick seal and five shadow clones popped into existence. Together they circled around her, drawing their own shuriken as they went.

The smoke cloud was unexpected but did not pose much of a problem for the Hyuuga girl. Her Byakugan eyes had no trouble seeing through the thick cloud. Nor did they miss the creation of the shadow clones or their subsequent encircling movement. She saw them all draw a hand full of shuriken each and instantly knew what Naruto was planning.

Shuriken flew thick and fast from the hands of the six blonds as they circled the cloud of slowly dissipating smoke. He'd practiced this attack many times and had gotten good enough to not hit himself if the shuriken missed.

Practice, however, doesn't make perfect...especially when it's against a log or shadow clone. Living opponents never react exactly the way you want them to. So when shuriken started coming back at Naruto and his clones and hitting them his formation fell apart as some dodged and others fell to the little metal stars.

Naruto saw what was happening and decided to cut his losses. He dispersed his remaining shadow clones and set himself for a grand fireball. A quick inhalation and the appropriate hand signs created a nicely rounded fireball about six feet in diameter. The roiling ball of flame cannon balled into the dissipating smoke cloud, burning off the remaining smoke in the process.

But yet again the result was not what Naruto had predicted. He'd expected her to dodge the fireball or get toasted. When the fireball split in two and died off just past the mark he knew she'd done neither.

When the smoke and steam cleared it revealed a heavily panting Hinata. Her arms were stretched out strait in front of her with her palms towards Naruto. She'd done something to divert the attack, that was for sure. The singe marks on the left and right fringes of her coat and pants showed that she had not escaped unharmed but she was far less damaged then Naruto had planned for.

"Again!" Naruto yelled. A second fireball of near equal proportion leapt from his mouth and traveled down range. He watched as Hinata braced herself. Then the fireball was upon her. It split just like before, diverting around the girl leaving her barely touched in the middle. As the fire dissipated this time however Naruto noticed a light blue physical line waver out of existence a few inches in front of her hands. The blond smiled.

"You created a wedge of chakra to divert the attack around you. That's awesome! You've got some pretty good technique for someone who said she didn't think she could fight me."

The spectators were just as impressed. Kurenai was practically beaming at her pupil while her cousin looked like he'd swallowed a toad. Every other Konoha ninja was smiling or nodding appreciatively.

Hinata's hands dropped slowly to her side as she began to notice the smiles and unspoken praise from above. A shy smile fluttered around her lips before settling into a beautifully full grin.

Naruto smiled happily. He'd done his good for the day. It was worth it to see the girl smile.

The blond blinked quickly. Had he just thought that? He shook his head as if clearing away cobwebs and took up another fighting stance. It was time to get back to business.

"Enough of that. Hiya!"

Naruto attacked with a quick one two punch then swept in with his leg. Hinata blocked the punches expertly and managed to catch and redirect Naruto's kick upwards so that the boy was forced to jump or loose his balance. Hinata struck before he could get his body completely out of her reach. Her hand snaked out and slapped his left ankle. The slap didn't hurt, it was the spike of chakra that she sent with the slap that hurt.

Naruto grimaced and altered his flip so he landed more heavily on his right foot. He glanced at Hinata warily as he tested his other foot. He grimaced again as he found that it wouldn't support his weight well. He could see that Hinata regretted hitting him like she had. He'd teach her to show sympathy like that to an opponent.

"Lets see if you can do that again," he said as he took several careful steps back and formed his favorite seal. Ten shadow clones popped into existence around him and immediately went on the offensive.

Despite what she'd said, Hinata was good. Naruto knew a taijutsu user when he saw one despite her soft manner. And after Neji's performance he'd had no doubt about the girl. As the clones battled the girl Naruto studied her technique and looked for flaws in her defense. He quickly realized she knew the basics of whatever style she used very well. He also confirmed that her style was largely defensive in nature judging by the blocks to attacks ratio. His clones were falling but more slowly then they would have been if he'd been facing a more offensive opponent. He smiled. He had plenty of chakra to burn. He'd ware her down eventually.

After three minutes of none stop clone attacks he could see that she was slowing considerably. 'Not much stamina I guess,' Naruto mused as one of his clones landed a solid blow to her shoulder with an ax kick. The girl stumbled, her defenses fell, and the clones moved in. Moments later Hinata was in a full body lock on the floor. The real Naruto drew his kunai and approached at his best hobble. Crouching down beside her head he placed the blunt side of the weapon against her neck and looked up at the judge.

The judge nodded. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

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I wanted to tie up this loose end before returning to Bound to Eternity. Don't expect anything more out of this story for a while.


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